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Introduced legislation in Ontario banning the use of scab workers during labour-management disputes.
Toronto (27 Jan. 2011) — Former Ontario cabinet minister Bob Mackenzie, who served as labour minister when Bob Rae led the province as NDP premier in the early 1990s, has died at age 82.
Mackenzie, who represented Hamilton, introduced legislation to outlaw the use of scab workers in labour-management disputes, piloting the bill through a storm of controversy to make it the law of the province in spite of the sustained outrage of Bay Street and political opponents at the time.
The law was one of the most fair and progressive ever passed in Ontario. Predictably, it was repealed in the mid-1990s by the Conservative government of Mike Harris and has not been reintroduced by the Dalton McGuinty Liberals.
Mackenzie also helped workers make progress on pay equity, workplace standards and labour rights in general.
Andrea Horwath, the current NDP leader in Ontario, described Mackenzie as a Hamilton icon and an NDP giant. He was a member of provincial parliament for two decades, retiring from politics in 1995.
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More information:
• Straight Goods tribute to Bob Mackenzie by Ish Theilheimer