Evidence of meeting #9 for Finance in the 40th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was transport.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
Mike Wallace Conservative Burlington, ON
I appreciate that. I know that question was kind of out of the blue.
On the topic that you're actually here for tonight, advocating for the changes that are outlined in the action plan, I would be interested in knowing how long your two organizations have been working on these issues. Now you're finally seeing some action taken on that. Is that something that's relatively new, or have you been working on it for a number of years?
Executive Director and General Counsel, Public Interest Advocacy Centre
It's been a lengthy process for both our organizations. I can recall that back in 1992 one of the first things I did when I became executive director was to review a project that involved decriminalization of misleading advertising and the possible steps that could be taken to try to enforce things civilly. Effectively, we're seeing the end of that process 15 years down the line.
Head, Ottawa Office, Option consommateurs
Option consommateurs has worked on this for eight years.
Head, Ottawa Office, Option consommateurs
I might add, Mr. Wallace, that we are having a conference next month on consumer indebtedness.
Head, Ottawa Office, Option consommateurs
No, it will be in Montreal. We shall be very happy to invite you to come.
Conservative
Mike Wallace Conservative Burlington, ON
Well, I am one of those indebted consumers.
How much time do I have left?
Conservative
Mike Wallace Conservative Burlington, ON
Okay, great.
I don't mean to be mean about this, but I'm from Burlington, where a number of companies are closing. We've had some unemployment. Can either the lawyer organization or the professional organization tell me how many of your members have been laid off in recent times by the federal government?
President, Canadian Association of Professional Employees
I don't think we can make any comparison between the private sector and the federal sector, that's for sure. You also have to consider that these people have careers that run 30 years, or 35 years for some people. They do expect their employer to be just from one group to another.
Conservative
Mike Wallace Conservative Burlington, ON
I agree. You expect fairness. But part of the advantage, in a sense, of being a public servant.... And you won't hear me saying anything other than good things about public servants. I come from the municipal world. Public servants work hard. They do all the work. A tremendous amount of work is done by the public servants here. But part of the advantage for public servants is that there is job security that may not exist in other marketplaces. Would you at least agree with that?
President, Association of Justice Counsel
Yes, if I may, I know there have been no layoffs. As a matter of fact, our problem is your problem or the problem of the government that will follow. You won't have to lay off anyone, because there will not be enough people left to do the job. That's the problem. It's the opposite of a layoff problem. We're losing people and you can't replace them.
President, Association of Justice Counsel
You see, that's your problem and the problem of the government that will follow.
Conservative
NDP
Thomas Mulcair NDP Outremont, QC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I have to say that we are always in for a few small surprises when Mr. Wallace speaks. He surpassed himself when he took the floor recently. He must be tired because he forgot that we already heard the very same thing this morning. He refers to the statement made by Geoffrey Grenville-Wood and tries to make it look like he is one the same wavelength as Mr. Olsen.
I'd like to quote two brief excerpts from that statement:
It is our considered view that this legislation is not only unconstitutional but it also creates an unworkable self-defeating morass from which the concept of pay equity will not only not prosper and advance, but it will wither and die. This cannot, or ought not to be, the intent of Parliament.
Then he said he had the conclusion. Let's go to the conclusion:
In conclusion, The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada believes that the laws proposed represent a gross intrusion into and interference with the constitutional rights of our members generally and with our female members, in particular, with respect to the pay equity law.
That's what Mr. Grenville-Wood said. That is the substance of what he said. That is the pith of what he said. Now, for Mr. Wallace to have taken that, it's sort of in line with his other interventions saying that you guys can't get fired....
Is it not a fact, Mr. Jetté, as you indicated, that federal government lawyers are not as well paid as most provincial government lawyers?
February 23rd, 2009 / 9:30 p.m.
President, Association of Justice Counsel
Absolutely. That is precisely the problem. Our lawyers are leaving this province to go work elsewhere. They go to work in other provinces or in the private sector where they can earn thousands more and be paid fairly, according to the value of the work they do.
NDP
Thomas Mulcair NDP Outremont, QC
I experienced this first hand in Quebec in the mid eighties when salaries were slashed by 20%.
