Finance Committee on May 21st, 2021

Evidence of meeting #49 for Finance in the 43rd Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was companies.

A video is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

Subject Matter of Bill C-30, An Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on April 19, 2021 and other measures

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Clerk of the Committee Mr. Alexandre Roger

Andrew Casey President and Chief Executive Officer, BIOTECanada

Kathy MacNaughton Accounting Clerk, As an Individual

Jamie Fox Minister, Department of Fisheries and Communities, Government of Prince Edward Island

Jean-Guy Côté Chief Executive Officer, Conseil québécois du commerce de détail

Kara Pihlak Executive Director, Licensed Child Care Network

Céline Bourbonnais-MacDonald Researcher, Licensed Child Care Network

Michelle Travis Researcher, UNITE HERE Canada

Kiranjit Dhillon Hotel Room Attendant, UNITE HERE Local 40

Elisa Cardona Hotel Worker, UNITE HERE Local 40

1:25 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Wayne Easter

I'm going to go back to Mr. Falk.

1:25 p.m.

Conservative

Ted Falk Conservative Provencher, MB

Mr. Chair, I would agree with Mr. Kelly. Mr. Fragiskatos is an embarrassment to his constituents with regard—

1:30 p.m.

Liberal

Bryan May Liberal Cambridge, ON

Come on, Mr. Chair. That's not appropriate.

1:30 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Wayne Easter

Let's not get into this. Let's question the witnesses, if we could.

May 21st, 2021 / 1:30 p.m.

Conservative

Ed Fast Conservative Abbotsford, BC

Peter started this.

1:30 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Wayne Easter

It doesn't matter who started it. I'm going to finish it.

1:30 p.m.

Conservative

Ted Falk Conservative Provencher, MB

I hope you're not taking away from my time, Mr. Chair, because I do have some really important questions.

1:30 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Wayne Easter

No, I'm not taking away from your time. I have it on lap here, so we're okay.

1:30 p.m.

Conservative

Ted Falk Conservative Provencher, MB

Very good. Thank you.

To Elisa and Kiranjit, thank you so much for your testimony. I'm very intrigued with your story, and I'm sorry for the situation you find yourselves in.

If I understand you correctly, the hotel that you were employed at, the Pacific Gateway Hotel, was hijacked by the Liberal government, and you, as long-term employees, were fired. Is that correct?

1:30 p.m.

Hotel Worker, UNITE HERE Local 40

Elisa Cardona

Yes, sir, that is correct.

1:30 p.m.

Conservative

Ted Falk Conservative Provencher, MB

Were you then replaced with federal workers?

1:30 p.m.

Hotel Worker, UNITE HERE Local 40

Elisa Cardona

The Red Cross has been doing work inside, and they also contracted out another company to do some cleaning in the hotel. Only 30 workers have been called back since January of this year.

1:30 p.m.

Conservative

Ted Falk Conservative Provencher, MB

Did they give you a reason they wouldn't have continued on with the services that you've obviously done very well for the past seven years?

1:30 p.m.

Hotel Worker, UNITE HERE Local 40

Elisa Cardona

No, there hasn't really been a clear answer to that.

It all falls down to lack of training, which I don't believe. We have thousands of hours of training, and we are extremely trainable. We are very good at our jobs. Housekeepers can do it with their eyes closed. There was just not an opportunity given; it was ripped away from us.

1:30 p.m.

Conservative

Ted Falk Conservative Provencher, MB

This Liberal federal government came in, hijacked the hotel, made it a quarantine hotel, charged the new guests—and I use that term lightly—exorbitant rates, and then fired you long-term workers and replaced you with Red Cross and their own employees.

1:30 p.m.

Hotel Worker, UNITE HERE Local 40

Elisa Cardona

Yes, and after the pandemic, they want to replace us at minimum wage. For example, someone makes $21 an hour. They want to reduce that person's wage to $15.20. They want to remove the union health care plan and incorporate their own, which the employee pays for. They also want to do an RRSP contribution. It's a good idea, but when you're making minimum wage and paying for your medical, it just doesn't make sense.

1:30 p.m.

Conservative

Ted Falk Conservative Provencher, MB

Ms. Cardona, you said that you're living day to day. How has this impacted your family?

1:30 p.m.

Hotel Worker, UNITE HERE Local 40

Elisa Cardona

Significantly. I can see that my children behave differently, because they feel the stress of it too.

1:30 p.m.

Conservative

Ted Falk Conservative Provencher, MB

You're obviously able to take advantage of the CERB at this point, and that's being proposed to be rolled back later on this year. Where do you see yourself going?

1:30 p.m.

Hotel Worker, UNITE HERE Local 40

Elisa Cardona

I am currently on EI. If you're on EI, you don't apply. You cannot get the CERB. It's either-or.

Where I see myself is continuing to fight to get my job back with living wages, with health care and with seeing my co-workers being able to retire from the jobs they gave 46 years of service to.

1:30 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Wayne Easter

This is the last question, Ted.

1:30 p.m.

Conservative

Ted Falk Conservative Provencher, MB

It seems as if this Liberal government has created the situation that you find yourself in. Have they at all come to your aid and offered to help you in re-establishing yourself as an employee at Pacific Gateway Hotel?

1:30 p.m.

Hotel Worker, UNITE HERE Local 40

Elisa Cardona

We haven't received any response from them.

1:30 p.m.

Conservative

Ted Falk Conservative Provencher, MB

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

1:30 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Wayne Easter

Thank you, all.

We'll go to five-minute rounds.

You have five minutes, Ms. Dzerowicz, followed by Mr. Ste-Marie.