Finance committee  Ladies and gentlemen members of the committee, good morning. Thank you for having invited us to appear before you this morning, in the company of my colleagues from the Public Service Alliance of Canada and the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada. The Canadian

Finance committee  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 employe

Finance committee  All I can say is that the average age of our members is relatively low as compared to other cohorts, but I do not have that precise information with me today.

Finance committee  Indeed. Based on the information we had, we examined the total number of days taken in a year, but also the incidence of leave of more than six days' duration. By analyzing all of this data, we were able to determine that the waiting period that is currently being proposed would

Finance committee  We will admit that we don't feel a whole lot of love. We also perceive a lot of contempt when Tony Clement leaves the room where people are studying the budget, saying that he works for public servants who want to work and take their sick leave when they are really sick. What tha

Finance committee  We hear insults every day in the workplace.

Finance committee  Thank you.

Finance committee  I can say, for example, that in many private sector firms, particularly large ones, there are no limits to the number of sick days that employees can take. My cousin works at IBM. He's been working there for several years. There's no limit, so he.... Like you distinguished MPs, i

Finance committee  If there is wage replacement. Right now, the current proposal that's on the table has a waiting period, which actually is a deterrent to staying at home when you're sick. Based on public health data, we know that where workplaces do not have paid sick leave or salary replacement,

Finance committee  What I'm saying is that there are systems in the private sector that ensure salary replacement when people are sick. That's what we need.

Finance committee  If the government has the goodwill to bargain it and not impose it through a legislative hammer that is not required and that is unconstitutional....

Finance committee  The end result has already been predetermined by booking this $900-million saving. Basically, what the government is saying—

Finance committee  —is that there is no way to discuss—

Finance committee  The problem is with the legislation, with division 20 of Bill. The problem is with the profound unconstitutionality of this legislation.

Official Languages committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. Forgive me, I hope that I am not going to have a huge coughing fit. I am not in very good shape today. Thank you for inviting us. The Canadian Association of Professional Employees essentially represents a large group of 12,000 members who work in economi