HALIFAX: Nova Scotia exporters could soon have a way to handle US and Mexican competitors that cut corners on labour standards.
The MacDonald government wants the province to sign on to the North American Agreement on Labour Co-operation, a side deal to the North American Free Trade Agreement.
Labour and Workforce Development Minister Mark Parent said the labour co-operation agreement directs the participating jurisdictions to enforce their own labour laws. If not, a company or group like a union could launch a complaint.
If a Nova Scotia company discovered a competitor in one of the other countries was producing goods at a lower price because it wasn’t following labour laws, the aggrieved company could have an administrative body look into it.
Ann Janega, vice-president of the Nova Scotia division of Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters, said the issue hasn’t come up much in Nova Scotia.
Parent said the labour co-operation agreement should also benefit foreign workers in Nova Scotia, though he said they already fall under the province’s labour laws.
Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Manitoba and Alberta have already signed on to the agreement.
© 2008 The Canadian Press