This appeal asked whether a Quebec heavy-equipment company’s labour relations were federally regulated because some employees performed stevedoring work tied to shipping.
The Court held that labour relations are presumptively provincial and that derivative federal jurisdiction applies only where federally related work is dominant or performed by a functionally discrete unit integral to a federal undertaking.
Tessier’s stevedoring represented a minor share of revenue and employee time, and its workforce was integrated across local and shipping tasks.
The Court concluded the undertaking’s essential operational nature remained local and provincial occupational health and safety legislation governed.
The appeal was dismissed with costs.
