Transport committee  You're engaging in a study. What I would say is there's a lot of information out there that either exists or needs to be brought to bear to understand how we can get better value and have better work and a more productive workplace. Quebec, which has forced unionization in construction, unlike no other part of the country, appears to have the greatest problems with its infrastructure than anywhere in this country.

Transport committee  Not a specific study on infrastructure. No.

Transport committee  My hope would be that some government in this country, be it federal or provincial, will begin to show some leadership and join the rest of the world that is protecting working people from forced union membership and all of the other coercive things that only exist in Canada now and don't exist anywhere else.

Transport committee  Correct.

Transport committee  I'm familiar with union-free contractors who pay more than their unionized competitors in terms of what they need to do to recruit and retain their people. I'm familiar with ones who pay the same or who pay less. It's a total job experience. I've been doing human resources for 30 years.

Transport committee  No, the overall data suggests that because of the higher wages that have evolved for public sector Canadians—and there are now more unionized government workers in Canada than unionized private sector workers—those higher wages and richer benefit plans are inflating and creating what unions want to call their “wage advantage”.

Transport committee  I could tell you, for example, that the starting wages at Walmart are higher than the starting wages at Loblaws, which is unionized.

Transport committee  The answer I gave you is that the only data I've seen brings the government sector and the private sector together. I haven't seen a study that breaks the private sector out in the way you're asking. When the public is generally made aware by union leaders that they secure higher wages, I believe the skew in that data is a result of the public sector compensation levels in this country.

Transport committee  We'd be concerned about any infrastructure project where, by whatever means, be it a legislated bar against tenders from a union-free employer.... So they can only be a unionized contractor and their unionized employees can bid. Those are the ones we would be concerned about. Whether it's a fair wage scheme that does it or other policies at the municipal, provincial, or federal level, we simply believe that all of these projects should be open to all taxpayers and all workers.

Transport committee  I would say it's any project, whether it's a government office tower or the refurbishing of a bridge—or it's the highway to Whistler before the Olympics.

Transport committee  Okay. I think it will be less than that, but we'll see. Thank you, Mr. Chair and committee, for the opportunity to participate in this important study. The Canadian LabourWatch Association was founded in the year 2000. Our mandate is to help working Canadians who may not want to become or remain unionized.

Finance committee  Sorry, Mr. Chair, I do not have that expertise, but I'm certainly willing to undertake to get a letter and some information for the committee that details this. It is not as extensive in the U.S. as it would be if this aspect of the legislation went unamended.

Finance committee  I was speaking to the former deputy Secretary of Labour, who ran disclosure for eight years in the United States, and he says some still are. He's the one who talks about how President Obama has made these changes since 2008.

Finance committee  It would concern me, based on some of the stories I've heard about the inappropriate activities that go on through some of these trusts. Maybe a compromise solution is that these trusts report to the CRA so that the information is provided. That type of transparency may also limit the types of things that are going on, because there will be greater risks of being caught.

Finance committee  It's not to do it publicly, but to make sure that the CRA has it.