Forging Business-Labour Partnerships: The Emergence of Sector Councils in Canada

The recent emergence of joint business-labour sector councils represents a major innovation in Canadian industrial relations. The federal government and certain provincial governments have developed these councils as a key component of their human-resource development initiative. This collection brings together the views of economists, political scientists, and industrial-relations specialists on this important experiment.

The authors suggest that, despite its innovative spirit, the sectoral initiative is fragile. Its future viability and wider diffusion depend on mutual trust and the long-term commitment of labour, management, and governments. Still, the consensus-building approach is seen as a remarkable achievement in Canada’s adversarial institutional climate, with the potential to transform the nature and direction of Canadian labour-management relationships.

In bringing together a wide range of views on sector councils, this book is a singular resource for all those interested in industrial relations, labour economics, and public policy.