moved for leave to introduce Bill C-453, an act to amend the Canada Labour Code, the Public Service Employment Act and the Public Service Staff Relations Act (trade union membership to be optional).
Mr. Speaker,the purpose of this enactment is to allow workers to decide whether or not they wish to join or be represented by a trade union and to provide that no union dues are to be deducted from the wages or the salaries of employees who are members of a union. It also prevents discrimination by the commission against persons applying for employment on the basis of whether or not they wish to be a member of a union.
Rank and file union members are often denied a meaningful say in how negotiations are conducted on their behalf. The purpose of the legislation is to give workers greater freedom and choice with respect to how they are represented in the collective bargaining process. Although the bill is restricted to federal labour relations, I encourage the provinces to demonstrate leadership by enacting similar legislation on behalf of workers.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)