I would agree with that.
Evidence of meeting #124 for Finance in the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was cbc.
A video is available from Parliament.
Evidence of meeting #124 for Finance in the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was cbc.
A video is available from Parliament.
11:10 a.m.
Fellow and Adjunct Professor, Queen's University, As an Individual
I would agree with that.
11:10 a.m.
Liberal
11:10 a.m.
Fellow and Adjunct Professor, Queen's University, As an Individual
Yes, they're bad for both parties and the employees, the third party.
11:10 a.m.
Liberal
Scott Brison Liberal Kings—Hants, NS
Are they bad for jobs, the creation of jobs as such, and bad for the investment climate as well?
11:10 a.m.
Fellow and Adjunct Professor, Queen's University, As an Individual
There's an interesting irony here in the sense that the government intervention has been justified because of the economic recovery. I believe that was a misguided belief. By letting free collective bargaining work, you actually protect jobs and you protect industries. It may well be, as Ms. Nash suggested, that even though this was well intentioned, it hadn't been thought out.
So what we now have is short-term gain for long-term pain instead of the opposite. I'm at a loss, because we've never had a chance to debate as to why that has become the permanent exceptionalism now that exists.
11:15 a.m.
Liberal
Scott Brison Liberal Kings—Hants, NS
Sure.
There have been references made to the previous government in 1991 and the Canadian Broadcasting Act. Please—and I'm doing this constructively—I would urge witnesses not to call that a Conservative government. That was a Progressive Conservative government, and there are significant differences, as we're seeing evidence of.
The BBC model has been cited in terms of public broadcasting. In the U.K. is their governance consistent with what the governance has been in terms of labour relations? Is there a Treasury Board person participating in these kinds of negotiations?
11:15 a.m.
Fellow and Adjunct Professor, Queen's University, As an Individual
Not to my knowledge. From my experience at CBC, they operate independently.
11:15 a.m.
Liberal
Scott Brison Liberal Kings—Hants, NS
So BBC is the same. It is the model that has been previously—or up until now—the case.
11:15 a.m.
Fellow and Adjunct Professor, Queen's University, As an Individual
Yes. They have their own labour relations challenges, but it is independent within that corporation.
11:15 a.m.
Liberal
11:15 a.m.
Conservative
11:15 a.m.
Conservative
Dave Van Kesteren Conservative Chatham-Kent—Essex, ON
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you all for coming here this morning.
I want to direct my question to Mr. Smith. Actually I'm sure you're aware of this, the Quebec provincial government has maintained a law since 1985 entitled An Act respecting the process of negotiation of the collective agreements in the public and parapublic sectors. This law requires all provincial crown corporations to seek ministerial approval.
Can you tell me what the difference is between that and Bill C-60, which you called unprecedented in a CBC report?
11:15 a.m.
Fellow and Adjunct Professor, Queen's University, As an Individual
My presentation is done in the context of the federal labour code in the federal sector. I am not—
11:15 a.m.
Conservative
Dave Van Kesteren Conservative Chatham-Kent—Essex, ON
Would you agree, though, it's about the same thing?
11:15 a.m.
Conservative
11:15 a.m.
Fellow and Adjunct Professor, Queen's University, As an Individual
I have no knowledge of the situation in Quebec. That's not my—
11:15 a.m.
Conservative
Dave Van Kesteren Conservative Chatham-Kent—Essex, ON
It might be interesting to see, because in Quebec with crown corporations, once an agreement is formulated it needs ministerial approval. So it's not unprecedented.
11:15 a.m.
Fellow and Adjunct Professor, Queen's University, As an Individual
I know a lot more about the structure of corporations and unions.
11:15 a.m.
Conservative
Dave Van Kesteren Conservative Chatham-Kent—Essex, ON
That's fair, but I think it might be something just for the future.
I'd love to keep going with you, but it was actually you, Mr. Leclerc, who said in a press report that the budget involves essentially no additional funding and actually reduces overall spending in future years as part of a plan to get back to balanced budgets.
Did I say Mr. Leclerc? I'm sorry, Mr. Bolduc.
Mr. Bolduc, I'm sorry. I hope you have your listening ears on. It was actually you who said that there's no additional funding, and actually as a Conservative I think that's a good thing. We may disagree, but I think that's a good thing. Would you disagree that our plan falls out of line of a balanced budget? Is this something that you would think is something we shouldn't be doing? I'm talking about additional funds, sir. You made a criticism that there are no additional funds.
May 23rd, 2013 / 11:15 a.m.
General Secretary, Canadian Union of Public Employees, Québec, Canadian Union of Public Employees
I don't know whether this is a translation issue, but I don't understand what you mean by additional funds.
11:15 a.m.
Conservative
Dave Van Kesteren Conservative Chatham-Kent—Essex, ON
In mentioning additional funding, you were critical that the budget has no additional funds. I was just stating that as a Conservative I think that's something....
You don't remember making that quote, your organization?
11:15 a.m.
General Secretary, Canadian Union of Public Employees, Québec, Canadian Union of Public Employees
You are not talking about my statement from today regarding....
