Thanks so much, Mr. Chair.
I guess I'd like to respond and thank you for your comments.
No one supports violence; we certainly don't. Everyone wants to do the right thing. Why can't you take the time to do it right? It's clear that we can misunderstand this bill.
We were just told that we were able to appear before you here on Thursday. We know there were different groups, with people talking about the B.C. example. The Business Council of British Columbia wanted to apply to appear and they were turned down.
Why not get all the facts? Why not do the right thing?
Quite frankly, my member, George, would disagree with you. He's not an expert on replacement worker legislation. He is an expert on his business. He is deathly afraid of this. He wouldn't let me use his real name because he is afraid of CAW and their tactics.
People are only talking about the big bad employer. What about the big bad union? This violence isn't just caused by big bad employers crossing the picket line. Big bad unions also cause violence. Think about that. I know this may not sit well with some people around the table, but it's the case.
This is not a federal issue, but there was a strike, a university teacher's strike. In this northern community, they didn't want to strike, but they had to because they were part of the union. Under this bill they're called scabs.
Does it apply to this airline? He has a couple of unions. Is there a certain part of the union that would be linked to the CAW? If there were a strike on airlines, would they be unable to cross the picket line, even though they're actually employers in the firm? Would they have the right to work?
We were talking about some foreign workers we're bringing in. Even with the telecommunications examples, most of those people were people who worked in that business and disagreed with their union. Is that right? Who speaks on behalf of those people?
I'm only raising some questions here. I'm telling you that we are afraid. We'll get the businesses in your ridings to phone you, and they can tell you how afraid they are.
Don't sneak the bill through. Let's hear both sides. We've had this discussion for a decade.