Mr. Chair, ladies and gentlemen members of the Standing Committee on Finance, thank you for having us.
My name is Denis Bolduc. I am the General Secretary of CUPE Quebec and the Regional Vice-President of the Canadian Union of Public Employees.
CUPE has over 600,000 members across the country, but I am appearing before you today more particularly on behalf of two unions that represent CBC employees in Quebec and in Moncton. I am talking about CUPE Local 675, which represents 600 office and professional employees, and the Syndicat des techniciens et artisans du réseau français de Radio-Canada, which represents 1,200 workers.
We have come all the way to Ottawa to tell you that we are strongly opposed to the amendments proposed to the Financial Administration Act in division 17 of Bill C-60. The adoption of those new provisions would wipe away decades of Canadian democratic tradition and turn the country's entire labour relations regime on its head. CUPE cannot support such amendments because they jeopardize fundamental rights such as freedom of speech and association, as well as the right to free collective bargaining.
The adoption of the amendments proposed in division 17 of Bill C-60 would enable the government to interfere in crown corporations' bargaining processes. As soon as the order has been passed, the Treasury Board could give crown corporations negotiating mandates, send observers to participate in talks in order to impose working conditions and prevent the signing of collective agreements they do not find acceptable. All those provisions clearly violate the right to freely associate as we know it in Canada.
As you know, the exercise of that freedom is safeguarded by the Canada Labour Code, which defines the employer as the person who employs the workers. So unions are supposed to negotiate with the employer—in good faith, of course. However, the government is using Bill C-60 to propose that the collective bargaining process be entrusted to a third party—the Treasury Board. That would change the rules of the game, lead to more appeals and, ultimately, harm good labour relations.
As a member of the International Labour Organization, Canada is committed to respecting and promoting the fundamental right to collective bargaining. That is why we are asking you to remove the proposed amendments to the Financial Administration Act from Bill C-60.
Further to the impact on collective bargaining, in CBC's case, Bill C-60 would conflict with the Broadcasting Act. That piece of legislation states the following:The Corporation shall, in the pursuit of its objects and in the exercise of its powers, enjoy freedom of expression and journalistic, creative and programming independence.
The CBC's board of directors is highly independent. It can hire the employees it deems necessary to its operations, determine its employment and remuneration conditions, purchase equipment, and even acquire broadcasting companies without asking anyone's permission.
So the presence of government representatives at the negotiation table would set a dangerous precedent that would reduce the crown corporation's level of independence. It would also open the door to political interference in journalism. A lack of managerial autonomy restricts freedom of expression and turns public broadcasters into state broadcasters. That is not what Canadians want. They want to benefit from information provided by journalists who are free to investigate any topics they choose. No government should have control over a broadcaster of the CBC's stature. Freedom of expression is a fundamental right enshrined in the charter.
The CBC's independence must absolutely be preserved. The public broadcaster must not become a government-controlled propaganda tool, regardless of which government is in power. That is a fundamental principle. So that's another reason to reject government interference in the CBC's management and programming that Bill C-60 would make possible.
In closing, CUPE is wondering why the government is proposing this legislative amendment. Is there a problem that needs to be resolved? If so, it has not been brought to light, and it should be.
So far, all we have seen in this bill is a vicious attack on crown corporation employees and all Canadians. Bill C-60 would amend all the crown corporation empowering legislation by taking away those corporations' negotiating independence. It could also end up turning the public broadcaster into a state-controlled broadcaster.
Once again, I want to thank you for the invitation and for your attention.