Finance committee  Yes, they just have to be accountable. They have to be accountable for their political activities and all other activities, because of the generous tax treatment that they receive, and also because of their forced funding model. Some have said that what's good for them is good

Finance committee  Unfortunately not.

Finance committee  That's our question. I've written on this extensively. Just as the head AFL-CIO recently said during the U.S. Senate hearings, this is actually good for unions. He was surprised that unions in France actually work with the government. If you look at what's happening in Australia

Finance committee  I think it creates a level playing field between labour organizations that currently operate in Canada that have to report in the United States and those that currently operate in Canada and don't have to report to their international affiliates. I think Merit Canada would suppor

Finance committee  Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for the opportunity to appear today on Bill C-377. Merit Canada is the national voice of Canada's eight provincial open shop construction associations, a sector that represents approximately 70% of the construction in Canada annually. We advocate for em

Finance committee  I just want to be clear that I didn't interpret the comments that way, but I will just speak to our member companies. They spend millions of dollars on apprenticeship training, scholarship refunds, and also in most provinces apprenticeship is public. The one problem, though, th

Finance committee  I don't think they are. I think they're bound by decades-old certifications that may or may not still be relevant. If there was an easy decertification process, perhaps they wouldn't still be bound by those processes.

Finance committee  Because there isn't.

Finance committee  Absolutely.

Finance committee  Sure. I have a long list here. I don't have the time to go through it now, but I'm happy to table it with the committee.

Finance committee  Absolutely, and we respect that.

Finance committee  Do you want me to respond?

Finance committee  I will just respond quickly. Merit contractor associations across the country spend millions of dollars on apprenticeship training. We also support public training that ensures that all of our workers are held to the same high standard as in any closed shop.

Finance committee  Sir, if I could comment, that's exactly what I'm here to convey. We're not asking for rules that would allow only our members or the open-shop sector to bid. We simply want the ability to compete, and let the best bid win.

Finance committee  No, in terms of this specific issue that I'm talking about with open tendering, certain people we compete with have gerrymandered the system so that we can't actually compete with them. They're not our competition. Generally, Merit Canada doesn't necessarily have competition. E