Bill C-14 Delivers Long-Fought Victory for Every ATU Canada Transit Worker on the Front Lines
OTTAWA (February 18, 2026) – The Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Canada celebrated a landmark victory today following the passage of Bill C-14, the Bail and Sentencing Reform Act, at third reading in the House of Commons. The legislation, which includes a critical amendment to the Criminal Code of Canada expanding aggravating factor sentencing provisions to all transit workers, marks one of the most significant advances in transit worker safety in the history of the union.
Prior to the amendment, Criminal Code protections applied only to vehicle operators such as bus drivers and train operators. Bill C-14 ensures that assaults against any transit worker performing their duties, including fare inspectors, customer service agents, maintenance employees, and station staff, must be treated as an aggravating circumstance at sentencing.
“On behalf of the tens of thousands of ATU members who keep this country moving every single day, we fought hard for this, and we won,” said John Di Nino, National President of ATU Canada. “For the first time, the Criminal Code of Canada recognizes that every transit worker, not just operators behind the wheel, deserves the full protection of the law.”
ATU Canada has been at the forefront of this fight for years, bringing members’ stories to Parliament Hill, engaging with CUTA’s national Transit Safety Task Force, and demanding that governments at every level stop treating violence against transit workers as an acceptable cost of doing business.
Central to this victory was the leadership of MP Bardish Chagger, who tabled Bill C-395, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (public transit workers), as a private member’s bill. That legislation served as the direct predecessor to the amendment now embedded in Bill C-14.
“We want to give particular recognition to MP Bardish Chagger, who did not wait for someone else to act,” said Di Nino. “She tabled Bill C-395 and put her name on the line for transit workers. ATU Canada stood with her, and we are grateful.”
ATU Canada also acknowledged the leadership of MPs James Maloney, Larry Brock, and Roman Baber, as well as every member of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights, whose bipartisan commitment to worker safety made this legislation possible.
ATU International President John Costa echoed the sentiment from the union’s broader membership.
“But above all, this victory belongs to our members. It belongs to every ATU brother, sister, and sibling who was assaulted on the job and kept showing up. Every worker who testified, marched, called their elected officials, and refused to stay silent on the violence we face on our jobs. You did this,” said Costa.
Bill C-14 now proceeds to the Senate. ATU Canada is calling on Senators to move swiftly and send the legislation to Royal Assent without delay.
“The message from Parliament is clear: violence against transit workers will be treated with the seriousness it deserves,” Di Nino added. “ATU Canada will hold every level of government accountable to that promise, and we will not stop until every one of our members goes home safe at the end of every shift.”