OTTAWA—One of the nastiest fights in years in the House of Commons is coming to a head as Members of Parliament prepare for a vote on the Conservatives’ bid to force labour unions to publicly disclose extensive internal information.
The contentious legislation, which opponents see as an attempt to use the Canada Revenue Agency for an attack on 4.3 million union members and the government’s political foes, has been brought forward as a private member’s bill by Conservative MP Russ Hiebert.
Legislation from backbenchers is often a lonely quest with little chance of passage into law. But Hiebert has Prime Minister Stephen Harper on his side. The Prime Minister’s office is helping the British Columbia MP rewrite Bill C-377 to modify measures that have touched off an unusual outpouring of concern from Canadians.
While Hiebert has acknowledged the need to improve the bill, the new version that is expected to be rolled out in a few days is unlikely to douse opposition to C-377 or cool the antagonism it has unleashed.
