Winning a federal ban on scabs was a major victory for union members. It was supposed to increase workers’ bargaining leverage and help to rebalance the scales in federally regulated workplaces. Employers would no longer be able to simply hire replacement workers during legal strikes or lockouts, undermine the bargaining process, and prolong disputes until unions were forced to surrender. The law was supposed to mean what it said.

The Bank of Canada, however, appears determined to prove otherwise.