Human Resources committee  Not until the minister came before this committee.

Human Resources committee  Because it revealed the truth.

Human Resources committee  Clearly, in the context of Bill C-377, in addition to the privacy concerns listed by the Privacy Commissioner, we realized that this bill was going to require us to reveal all kinds of information that no jurisdiction in this country has ever had to in terms of law, except the jurisdiction that came forward with this.

Human Resources committee  I think that throughout the history of the federal labour code—for quite some time in any case—we've had a fairly balanced system. It's not perfect. It has some flaws, and we can do much to improve it. The reality is that every time the code has been amended, whether it's Labour Code part 1 or part 2, much care has been taken to ensure that the right balance is found in improving the code, recognizing that being under the code is one of the greatest protections that workers have.

Human Resources committee  In the federal jurisdiction we have had card certification for many decades, and it has proven, of course, to be a clear way for workers to indicate whether or not they want to belong to a union. If the board is uncertain about whether or not there is support for a union, the board itself can order a vote.

Human Resources committee  The reality, of course, is that signing a union card gives workers the right to decide whether they want to join a union. If they do, there is no justification for adding a second layer for the workers to indicate their decision in the first place.

Human Resources committee  The fact of the matter is that it has reduced, of course, the rights of workers to join unions in many of those places. It has been demonstrated, time and time again, that employers interfere in the free right of workers to join a union in the first place.

Human Resources committee  First and foremost, workers signing a union card to join a union is an indication they want to join the union. To add a second layer is only to allow the employer an opportunity to interfere with the decision of the workers making that decision in the first place. There is no justification for it.

Human Resources committee  Yes, I do, because of the following. First of all, there's a difference between a secret vote choosing you as my elected representative in the country and workers making a decision about whom they want to represent them in their collective bargaining relationship. You understand nothing of the dynamics of the power relationship between an employer and an employee in the workplace in the first place.

Human Resources committee  Imposing a mandatory vote had nothing to do with a more democratic system of accessing collective bargaining representation. This is clear from the fact that Bill C-525 originally required a majority of employees, not voters, to decide in favour of unionizing. Under the original Bill C-525, workers who didn't vote would have been counted as casting a “no” ballot rejecting certification.

Human Resources committee  Thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today. The Canadian Labour Congress, of course, is the single largest democratic and popular organization in this country. It speaks on national issues on behalf of 3.3 million workers. It represents more than 50 national and international unions in Canada.

Public Safety committee  I think there may be some aspects of the bill that would be necessary, but in the context of carrying those out, I think this bill overreaches to the furthest extent. I don't think any security agency in this country should be granted the right to override my constitutionally protected rights before a legal process for me to defend myself.

Public Safety committee  I use my name as an example. My name is Hassan Yussuff, and I don't know whether anybody would distinguish who I am versus somebody else they may want to be suspicious of in our country. We are a unique country with a unique character. I just happened to come back from Germany on Tuesday.

Public Safety committee  It's critical for us to recognize racism is insidious. It affects people's lives in a more fundamental way and more importantly our members who go to work should be able to work without having to deal with this reality in their lives. If they live in communities it's fundamental that we're encouraging, of course, all workers to treat each other with equality in every way, in every part of their lives.

Public Safety committee  We are involved quite often in many different forms of protests and demonstrations in this country, all for good reasons. They may not meet some people's approval, but the reality is that they're justified in a democratic society. Of course we want to be absolutely clear that we don't think these activities should be in any way characterized now as illegal in our country.