Bill C-7 · 42th Parliament · Justin Trudeau
An Act to amend the Public Service Labour Relations Act, the Public Service Labour Relations and Employment Board Act and other Acts and to provide for certain other measures
Government bill. Became law.
- IntroducedMarch 9, 2016
- Debated in principleMarch 24, 2016
- Studied by a committeeDone
- Passed its first chamberMay 30, 2016
- Passed the second chamberJune 20, 2016
- Became lawJune 18, 2017
Leading supporters
Ranked by the part each played: who is responsible for the bill, who carried it, and who spoke for it most.
- Justin TrudeauPrime Minister
Who carries this bill
Arrows run from the person responsible to those who answer to them on this bill. The critic leads the Senate’s scrutiny and answers to no one on it.
What it set out to do
The pre-release version of this Legislative Summary is now available. Parliamentarians and their staff can obtain a copy by submitting a request or contacting the Library of Parliament. Members of the public can obtain a copy by the contacting the Information Service at the Library of Parliament. On 9 March 2016, the President of the Treasury Board introduced Bill C-7, An Act to amend the Public Service Labour Relations Act, the Public Service Labour Relations and Employment Board Act and other Acts and to provide for certain other measures, in the House of Commons and it was given first reading. Bill C-7 amends the Public Service Labour Relations Act to provide for a labour relations regime for members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and reservists. It provides a process for an employee organization to acquire collective bargaining rights for members and reservists and includes provisions that regulate collective bargaining, arbitration, unfair labour practices and grievances. It also amends the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Act to bar grievances related to the interpretation and application of a collective agreement or arbitral award, which are to be filed in accordance with…
Summary by the Library of Parliament.
Where members stand
Votes and debate for this bill have not been read yet.
How it changed on the way
36% of the text as introduced was changed or removed by the time it became law (16,380 words introduced, 16,228 passed). A committee amended it.
moderate changeintent mostly kept
The bill kept its core purpose of creating a labour relations regime for RCMP members but added a new section protecting the Commissioner's operational authority. Minor updates included a royal recommendation, date changes, and small wording adjustments during passage.
- A new section was inserted after section 7 to preserve the RCMP Commissioner's rights.
After: “Right of Commissioner of Royal Canadian Mounted Police preserved 7.1 Nothing in this Act is to be construed as affecting the right or authority of the Commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police under the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Act to ensure that police operations are effective.”
How precisely it is written
mostly preciseChallenging the law: ModerateDisputing a charge: Moderate
The bill relies on repeated cross-references to defined terms such as employee organization, RCMP member and reservist, plus fixed dollar fines and mandatory single-unit rules that leave little room for argument. A few phrases still turn on a decision-maker's conclusion or a reasonableness standard.
Open to argument
“they conclude must not be disclosed”
The test depends on the former judge's subjective conclusion rather than an objective list of prohibited information.“within a reasonable time”
The phrase supplies no fixed deadline or measurable criteria for compliance.
Clear-cut
“a fine of not more than $10,000”
The maximum penalty is stated as a clear numerical limit.“the single, national bargaining unit that is appropriate for collective bargaining”
The text mandates one specific unit rather than leaving the scope open to argument.“must not, directly or indirectly, alter or eliminate any existing term or condition of employment”
The prohibition is framed as an absolute bar tied to enumerated legislative triggers.
Discretion. The Board and former judges receive authority to certify units, issue orders and decide disclosure questions, while several sections expressly incorporate regulations made under the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Act.
Challenging the law itself. Broad incorporation of external regulations and the 'conclude must not be disclosed' clause could support a vagueness argument under section 7 of the Charter.
Disputing a charge under it. Most prohibitions are tied to specific statutory triggers and defined terms, yet the reasonableness and conclusion-based clauses give an accused room to dispute whether the threshold was crossed.
Read by a language model from the royal assent text; every quoted phrase appears in the bill. A reading of the drafting, not legal advice.
Did it work?
effective
Bill C-7 established a dedicated labour relations regime under the (renamed) Federal Public Sector Labour Relations Act for RCMP members and reservists, directly addressing the Supreme Court of Canada's 2015 ruling on freedom of association. Official implementation records confirm the regime enabled certification of a bargaining agent and negotiation of the first collective agreement effective in 2021.
- Public Safety Canada parliamentary briefing on RCMP Unionization and Implementation of the Collective AgreementevaluationFollowing royal assent of Bill C-7 in 2017, the National Police Federation was certified, notice to bargain was served in 2019, and the first collective agreement for nearly 20,000 RCMP members and reservists was signed and came into effect on August 6, 2021.
Who lobbied on it
No lobbying registration naming this bill is loaded.
Stages and dates from LEGISinfo.