Conservatives quietly drop anti-union measures from official policy - Toronto Star

The Conservative party quietly stripped support for right-to-work legislation from its official policy book earlier this year, an unannounced change that underscores Pierre Poilievre's effort to shed a position long opposed by organized labour as he courts union votes.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre speaks to workers at Cavalier Tool and Manufacturing Ltd., in Windsor, Ont., on Aug. 24, 2026.

OTTAWA — The Conservative party quietly stripped support for right-to-work legislation from its official policy book earlier this year, an unannounced change that underscores Pierre Poilievre’s effort to shed a position long opposed by organized labour as he courts union votes.

The amendment was approved by Conservative MPs in March and posted online without public announcement after party members failed at their convention in January to advance a new labour policy that more closely reflected the party’s platform in last year’s election campaign.

Conservative MP Kyle Seeback told the Star the caucus made the change after a proposal to update the labour policy didn’t get enough support from riding associations to bring it to the convention floor for debate in January.

Seeback, the Conservative critic for labour, noted that the party ran in last year’s federal election campaign on a promise not to introduce anti-union bills.

When it comes to how he believes Canadians feels towards Americans, Poilievre said, ‘a little bit wounded.’