Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
Mr. Strickland, I'm going to start with you, and I want to pick up on some of the conversations and comments you had with respect to the challenges in parts of Bill C-39, which are the changes to the Canada Labour Code. I want to give you some context.
Tom Doran from the ILWU said, “The importance of our work cannot justify stripping away our rights. Lasting labour peace comes from fair, negotiated agreements.”
Mark Hancock, national president of CUPE, said, “Bill C-39 is an unfair and unnecessary attack on Canadians' constitutional rights”. He also said, “It will make labour relations worse, not better.”
Bea Bruske, president of the Canadian Labour Congress, said, “I don't believe for a minute that this legislation will improve the collective bargaining process. I think this will embolden employers to hold out for not getting to a deal.”
Yesterday, Lana Payne of Unifor said that the “explicit attack on the right to fair and free collective bargaining” was “the last thing the workers of Canada need right now”.
These are some pretty damning statements by the labour movement in Canada about the changes that are being made essentially to section 107. This committee is designed to try to make things better, so would you support amendments, or do you think the government should support amendments to this bill that would address the concerns that are being raised by unions across the country?