Evidence of meeting #42 for Health in the 43rd Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was doses.
A recording is available from Parliament.
11:40 a.m.
Hospitality Worker, Local 40, UNITE HERE Canada
It's a very disheartening feeling to be treated that way when we're in the 21st century and things are supposed to be moving forward for women.
11:40 a.m.
Hospitality Worker, Local 40, UNITE HERE Canada
We think this is sexual and racial discrimination, because out of 142 workers, 90% are women. More workers, again mostly women, could be terminated over the summer too.
11:40 a.m.
NDP
Don Davies NDP Vancouver Kingsway, BC
Thank you.
I have one more question before I turn it over to Mr. Masse.
The federal government is using a hotel behind picket lines, operated by an employer who has fired and locked out hundreds of workers—mostly women. They are sending tax dollars—your tax dollars—to that very hotel right now, behind picket lines, a hotel that is operated by an employer who is facing a human rights complaint for sex and race discrimination.
Can you tell us, UNITE HERE members, what advice you would give this federal government in those circumstances?
11:45 a.m.
Research Director, Local 40, UNITE HERE Canada
Elisa, do you want to take that?
11:45 a.m.
Hospitality Worker, Local 40, UNITE HERE Canada
Yes, I can take that. Thank you, Michelle.
I would like the federal government to stop subsidizing hotels that treat women and employees in that manner: with no respect, no dignity and making them feel like they're disposable when our jobs are not disposable and we're some of the most trained people, with high skills.
I don't understand why this specific hotel is getting all this subsidizing from my tax dollars as well as yours, letting people get fired and then getting them replaced by minimum-wage employees.
11:45 a.m.
NDP
Don Davies NDP Vancouver Kingsway, BC
Thank you so much. I appreciate that.
Mr. Masse, I cede the floor.
11:45 a.m.
NDP
Brian Masse NDP Windsor West, ON
Thank you, Mr. Davies.
That's atrocious and disgusting. I thank the UNITE workers for bringing this forward and for the work they've done previously on Investment Canada as well.
Mr. Dilkens, with regard to the Public Health Agency, I know they've responded to you in a negative way. Can you shed some light on how seamless the integrity at the border is? The City of Windsor owns the Windsor-Detroit tunnel. Can you highlight the logistics and the security that you offer in this program?
11:45 a.m.
Mayor, City of Windsor
Thank you for the question.
Being on the international border, we are very unique here in that we own our half of the Windsor-Detroit tunnel. The City of Detroit owns their half. It's really the only case like this between the United States and Canada. With the approval of the board, which we got—unanimous approval—we have the ability, as the board said, to close the tunnel down as often as we need for as long as we need to be able to facilitate vaccination at the centre line.
We actually drew the line in the tunnel. The idea here is that on the U.S. side, we have multiple offers from folks who live in Canada, from Canadians, to facilitate and to secure the vaccines. We're trying to find a way to do this that is maybe not the easiest. There are better solutions that are more optimal, but we're trying to find a practical way to deal with all of the logistics on both sides of the border. We can close the tunnel, bring people down and vaccinate them right at the border line. Then they'd be fully vaccinated Canadians.
You know what? Guess what? It would be better for everyone else in Canada who is waiting for a vaccine. We've acquired other vaccines from other sources, and everyone else would move up on the list faster.
11:45 a.m.
NDP
Brian Masse NDP Windsor West, ON
On top of that, many of those people involved in the process would actually be Canadians, because they work over in the United States. Thousands go over there every single day. We would actually have Canadians inoculating Canadians, but just using surplus U.S. vaccine.
11:45 a.m.
Mayor, City of Windsor
You're absolutely right. These would be Canadians working in Michigan in health care and administering the vaccines to Canadians on the other side of the line.
11:45 a.m.
NDP
Brian Masse NDP Windsor West, ON
Lastly, can you confirm the secure operation there? You've provided an international transit system already and other types of secure elements. The Public Health Agency doesn't seem to understand, I don't think, the security that can take place in the operation that you're proposing.
11:45 a.m.
Mayor, City of Windsor
I'm really clear that we don't want to do this under the cover of darkness. We'll work with the U.S. CBP and the CBSA to find the best way to do this that allows traffic to continue to flow, but at the end of the day, there are ways to do this so that everyone has the security and comfort they need.
11:45 a.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ron McKinnon
That brings our regular round of questions to an end.
I believe we'll have time for a snapper round of maybe two minutes per party.
On that basis, I will offer it to you, Ms. Rempel Garner, if you wish.
11:45 a.m.
Conservative
Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB
I'm really having a hard time trying to wrap my brain around the fact that the federal government would fire women through the hotel quarantine program.
Ms. Travis, Ms. Cardona or Ms. Dhillon.... Perhaps, Ms. Travis, this is a question for you. Are you aware if the federal government did a gender-based analysis of the hotel quarantine program? If so, were you consulted on that?
11:45 a.m.
Research Director, Local 40, UNITE HERE Canada
We have no idea whether it did any sort of analysis on that. We reached out to the federal government months ago, and to the Minister of Health last fall, when we suspected that the hotel owner was going to use the federal quarantine as an opportunity to fire much of the staff.
We had one conversation, and we never heard from the government again. It kicked it over to PHAC. Today is a good opportunity to ask PHAC, why is it continuing to use this quarantine hotel? How much longer does it plan to use it? It never provided a contract, and the hotel says there is no contract with the government for the use of this hotel, which is very interesting.
11:50 a.m.
Conservative
Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB
That's great to know.
Are federal Liberal MPs or ministers staying at this hotel? Are you aware of that?
11:50 a.m.
Research Director, Local 40, UNITE HERE Canada
Right now, it's simply being used as a quarantine site.
11:50 a.m.
Conservative
Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB
I was just wondering if you guys were aware of that.
I know the government purports to have an anti-racism strategy. Do you believe this program, and the treatment of labour and workers, fits in line with that?
11:50 a.m.
Research Director, Local 40, UNITE HERE Canada
I think the government has put its money where its mouth is. We have talked a lot about having an inclusive feminist recovery. We think what's happening with the Pacific gateway is kind of exhibit A for what shouldn't be happening.
As Elisa and Kiran mentioned earlier, most of the workers who have been fired have been predominately women and mostly women of colour. Some 90% of the housekeeping staff have been terminated in a hotel that has almost 400 rooms, but once the government leaves this hotel, the hotel is going to need staff, because folks will want to travel again.
There is a real deliberate effort here to get rid of long-term staff, and to replace them for less. The government is aware of the problem. Our concern is that it hasn't acted, and there's an opportunity to act.
11:50 a.m.
Conservative