Human Resources committee  That's okay.

Human Resources committee  Thank you, Madam Chair. FETCO represents approximately 586,000 employees in the federal jurisdiction. First and foremost, FETCO members support the principle of removing the provision in the Canadian Human Rights Act that permits mandatory retirement. The time has come. The pro

Human Resources committee  I certainly will. We recognize the Canadian Armed Forces exception that has been raised in the legislation, and we think that in some cases there are analogous situations that could occur in the private sector. We believe that the elimination of mandatory retirement must inclu

Human Resources committee  I can get to them again?

Human Resources committee  It's unfair to say yes or no. It's the longest question I've ever been asked.

Human Resources committee  One is constrained when you have messages that you want to convey in this process. I thank you very much for allowing me to continue a little longer than I was allotted. The reason we need to take some time is because fundamentally we believe we're on the right track here. We're

Human Resources committee  The simple answer is that we have to take a look at these effects and make rational decisions. You can't just take a simplistic approach. We have to spend a little bit of time to study this, but when we do, we'll end up with a better law, I think.

Human Resources committee  You have to appreciate that the old regime has been around for a long time, and work practices have been built around the existing law. You can't just turn that around on a dime because you've restructured your workforces and the rules and regulations governing them in accordance

Human Resources committee  Definitely it would need a minimum of a year.

Human Resources committee  First of all, there is that provision dealing with severance pay. Severance pay was designed to permit a transition from one job to another. Now we're saying that this will continue beyond age 65. Previously, it stopped at age 65, because under the old set-up it was expected th

Human Resources committee  Employers accept that while we need flexibility we have to be prepared to demonstrate that there are bona fide reasons for distinctions. You have to have fit police officers who can do their job, and if it's a bona fide occupational requirement, then perhaps they should be retire

Human Resources committee  It could create pressure in collective bargaining and it could create litigation in which individuals are advancing their own view contrary to the public interest. It may be contrary to safety in sensitive situations. So we need flexibility to address these issues. We hope the le

Human Resources committee  As for health benefits, the criteria have to be determined by health care professionals. There are physicians who specialize in geriatric medicine and they would have a view. There are physicians who can deal specifically with airline pilots, and there are physicians who can make

Human Resources committee  There are lots of recommendations. The railways have special regulations. The truckers have regulations.

Human Resources committee  We agree with the principle of mandatory retirement. We want a law such that when workplaces have to change the way work is performed, how employees are moved through an organization, and how employers are compelled to look at health and safety issues, we have the flexibility to