Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
Thanks to all of our witnesses.
As a number of witnesses have indicated—Mr. Hynes in this panel—this budget bill is badly flawed and has been rushed through Parliament. We've been given a few hours with witnesses, and we really appreciate your coming forward.
Today, witnesses have identified a whole variety of flaws. The government has given absolutely no indication that it will do anything other than bulldoze this through in a few hours, a week from next Tuesday. The special handcuff legislation it brought in means that anything that hasn't been amended is simply adopted full scale at the end of the day. It's a ridiculous approach to policy-making.
Mr. Hynes, thank you for your comments.
The Speaker has rebuked the finance minister for doing this. Certainly Mr. Trudeau promised that he would act differently from Mr. Harper. This is twice as bad as anything Mr. Harper pulled. We have to try to adjust these incredible flaws.
I'd like to start by asking Mr. Benson, Monsieur Lacoste and Mr. Hennessy about pay equity. You raised very important issues about the flaws in the bill.
Mr. Lacoste, you said that the two amendments you proposed would avoid endless litigation. You fear that women will be forced to go back to court if this bill is passed as it stands.
My question to the three of you is this. What happens if this government just rams through this legislation without making the essential changes that you and so many other witnesses have suggested?