We all condemn this provision. We all question its constitutionality.
May I repeat that this is the retroactive application of a rule after a contract was concluded. As Ms. Daviau mentioned, sick leave is one part of compensation as a whole. At the negotiating table, the employer tells us that he cannot offer us a salary increase that corresponds to the rate of inflation. As members of Parliament, you obtained a salary increase that was comparable to increases in the private sector, that is to say 2.3%.
Historically, the employer has rarely been able to match the rate of inflation. So he told us that instead of this remuneration, he would offer us other advantages, such as sick leave. That leave was a part of the whole compensation package. It is very valuable to the members because it is an insurance policy, as Ms. Daviau explained.
Once an employee retires, the liability disappears as if by magic. The fact that the government is presenting the elimination of accumulated sick leave as a savings continues to feed the myth that people end their career by using up sick leave, which is completely false.
I compared the situation to the contract for the purchase of a house; the contract was signed but the owner comes back three years later to say that he wants the garage back. This is just as illogical as that. These banked sick leave days are based on what was agreed upon in the collective agreement.
Thank you.