Human Resources committee  No. I think the changes obviously are positive and are long overdue, but the reality is that if a company were to go bankrupt, with the current rules as they are, the workers' pension plan would not see the remaining assets of that company go to fund the unfunded liability of that pension plan.

Human Resources committee  Absolutely so. There is no reason to have workers starting to panic about the fact that their pension plan could be in trouble, that their company could be in even further trouble and whether or not they're going to remain in their employment at the end of the day. It's a lot of stress.

Human Resources committee  The transfer payments for health care have been going on and have been the source of tension between the provinces and territories and the federal government for quite some time. The reality here, I think, is that the provinces also have some responsibility. A lot of the underfunding has come from the provinces and territories choosing to shortchange long-term care and to not adequately fund it to the degree that could have prevented some of the deaths and more importantly, of course, the shortages in the wages the workers are paid in this sector.

Human Resources committee  I have two answers for you, and I may be correcting myself or somebody will correct me over time. My understanding is that the department has allowed people who are on CERB to get $1,000 from their supplementary plan. That's what they have allowed workers who are going to work and getting CERB to earn.

Human Resources committee  Yes, of course. I really want to thank you for the question. This is an area that worries workers a lot, especially with the reality that some companies might be insolvent during this COVID-19 pandemic. Minister Morneau has made some incredible improvements to the solvency issues that our pension plans are going to be faced with—trying to get recognition of that reality.

Human Resources committee  If your pension plan is registered in Ontario, then you automatically are part of the insurance scheme. You have to pay a premium because your pension plan is registered in Ontario. Should your pension plan become insolvent and it's not fully funded, the insurance scheme is there to alleviate some—not all, but some—of the challenges the workers might face in regard to their pension.

Human Resources committee  I started out by saying that certain groups of course have been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic so far. We know for a fact that women are bearing most of the burden of the child-rearing responsibility. Those who have been in the workforce and who have been locked down for this entire period, of course, are struggling with that reality.

Human Resources committee  Wonderful. I'll try that.

Human Resources committee  Thank you very much for your question. In our view, based on the evidence we have seen on public projects and public investment, there's no question that community benefits have been an incredible driver for dealing with income inequality, but equally in dealing with the diversity of those who sometimes may not have the opportunity to become part of that sector.

Human Resources committee  Good afternoon, Mr. Chair and committee members. Thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today. It’s a pleasure to join you, even though it's remotely. The Canadian Labour Congress is the largest central labour body in the country. It brings together more than 50 national and international unions in Canada, as well as 12 provincial and territorial federations of labour and 100 labour councils across the country.

International Trade committee  Yes, including our friends the steelworkers. We're all part of the same family.

International Trade committee  In the manufacturing sector, and also in the resource sector, I would say we've got probably several hundred thousand members who are impacted by it, who work in industry and also in the supply chain, including agriculture. Our members actually work in many of the agriculture sectors that produce products that get exported to the United States.

International Trade committee  The chapter speaks to harassment and gender violence in the workplace. Of course, the agreement itself has an impact, if it's in force, to prevent that from happening. Of course, these are the same obligations that we know of in our own country. The human rights code can, if it's in force, prevent harassment and violence from happening in the workplace.

International Trade committee  Given the limited time, I'll be very brief. As you know, under the previous agreement, there were a number of complaints filed under the old NAALC, which is part of the current agreement. Not a single one of them has ever been resolved in a satisfactory manner. It's been a complete failure.

International Trade committee  Very briefly, I want to echo the point Ken is making. It seems quite absurd. The employers have the ability to file a complaint under the legislation, but the worker has no ability. Who speaks for the workers as to how these cases are viewed? Quite often I think most of the employers obviously have a self interest, but specifically in regard to the impact on workers, only the unions can do that in a very definitive way.