New legislation will deter investment, warns Michelin Canada president

The president of Michelin Canada, Dana LeBlanc, has spoken out against legislation being introduced by the Province of Nova Scotia. The legislation LeBlanc opposes is Bill 102, an amendment to Nova Scotia’s Trade Union Act. This amendment will introduce first contract arbitration in Nova Scotia. Critics of Bill 102 claim it is a job killer that will give unions a foothold in non-union workplaces.

According to Canada’s Metro News, LeBlanc told the Nova Scotia legislature’s law amendments committee that the labour environment is a “key component” of Michelin’s decision making process regarding which of its factories around the world it will invest in. “Simply put, it makes it very difficult when you have legislation such as Bill 102,” he commented, reiterating that the Bill made it “very difficult” for him sell Nova Scotia as a better place to invest in.

“We’d like to hire more Nova Scotians than we have working today,” LeBlanc stated. “And part of that challenge is, if you don’t have that investment, that’s very difficult to do.”