The trial for the constitutional challenge to the Pallister government’s Public Services Sustainability Act has now concluded.

We are proud to stand up for the rights of working people, but we wish that this government had respected these rights and met at the bargaining table, not the courtroom.

One of the most shocking things we learned from the government’s closing arguments is that they have actually given up on trying to convince anyone there was a fiscal crisis in our province. Remember how often Brian Pallister said in the lead up to this legislation that it was needed because of Manitoba’s finances? Well, it seems his own government and its lawyers don’t even believe that. Brian Pallister is just making it up as he goes along.

The Pallister government’s heavy-handed wage freeze law fundamentally undermines the constitutionally-protected right to collective bargaining, and this court case has been about protecting the right for workers.

We are proud of the case that we put forward on behalf of working people. I want to thank all of Manitoba’s unions who supported this, and to our excellent legal team for their dedication.

– Kevin Rebeck, President of the Manitoba Federation of Labour