We, in government, do not want these important regulations to be watered down either.
Mr. Strickland, I come from the health care sector, where binding arbitration is the norm. As we know, under the terms of Bill C-39, in exceptional cases—and they will be exceptional cases—the minister can direct the end of a lockout or a strike due to the severity of its impact. The law goes through, in considerable detail, all of the hurdles that you've described that need to be met before that's even considered. Then, once a legal strike is under way, there is the option to....
I don't think we have discussed very much at this committee what happens after that. What happens after that, according to the law, is not that employers just get their way; rather, the dispute goes to binding arbitration with an independent arbitrator.
You can't draw a complete parallel to the universe of essential work, and I understand the difference, but I found it interesting to hear some witnesses come forward and speak as though binding arbitration is not a fair process that is used in labour disputes all the time. In fact, it's used all over the place. Maybe you could help us understand a little about how binding arbitration works in the instance of an independent arbitrator. Help us to understand how putting something before an independent third party might not be perceived by some as an adequate last resort.