Thank you, Mr. Chair.
One of the challenges we're faced with in omnibus legislation is that, as the finance committee, our focus and responsibility and understanding of issues is basically on questions of the fiscal framework or budget-type questions, and we're forced to deal with issues around intellectual property, public sector labour relations issues, and issues around the long-gun registry. These should be dealt with at the appropriate committees. It's very frustrating.
On the whole issue of the proposed changes to the treatment of sick leave of employees, the government seems to be—and it's not just this, even the tone in the House, the gratuitous attacks on the public service seem to be.... I remember as minister of public works that we had 14,000 employees. We agreed with the union sometimes and we disagreed at other times, but we engaged respectfully. We did not gratuitously try to pick a fight.
Does it seem that the government is angling to pick a fight, as opposed to trying to negotiate and address some of these issues? There may be some legitimate issues, but instead it is looking to pick a fight and perhaps even provoke a strike. Do you have any thoughts on that?