Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I think I agree with Mr. Brazier that we can get caught up with statistics, as opposed to looking at the broader picture, which is what we as legislators are expected to look at.
I understand from the bankers that because the unionized percentage of their workers is so small, their main concern with this bill has to do with the potential of strikes among telecommunications workers, which would slow down or stop certain banking and payment activities. I want to ask Mr. Georgetti about the unionization level among telecommunications workers and if he has any statistics on that for us--well, not statistics, but any facts about that.
Going back to the basic issue of fairness and balance, some people here have claimed there is balance based upon the current legislation; Mr. Georgetti said the most interesting thing this morning, when he said there is no balance.
I'd like to know if you know, or if you could find out for us, how the telecommunications workers so essential to the banking industry have done in their collective bargaining of late. In other words, do you have any comparative figures about the profits being made by telecommunications industries or corporations within that sector compared to the wage increases that have been won by the telecommunications workers? It seems to me that our essential question is that if the economy is booming and corporations are making ever-increasing profits, are those profits being shared fairly with the workers who do the work to create those profits?
I want to get back to that basic question between labour and management, because I think it will lead us to a conclusion about how much interference the current legislation needs. Does it need an amendment, or does it need a whole new bill like this one?
I'm going to invite Mr. Georgetti to speak to that.