Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
The witnesses we have heard this morning spoke a lot about balance. That is a word that comes back every time new labour relations legislation is considered. In collective agreement negotiations, there is balance between two parties: the employer and unionized workers. Adding a third player, either replacement workers or strike-breakers, upsets that balance. Replacement workers are intruders who side with the employer. It is no longer one against one, but two against one.
In a sense, anti-scab legislation re-establishes the balance. That is why Quebec has had such legislation for the past 30 years. It is very effective legislation, and it is very rare to hear people complain, including the Conseil du patronat du Québec. Replacement workers are like bulls in a china shop.
I am pleased to meet with the Canadian Association of Broadcasters. I would like to speak to the specific example of a radio station in Bonaventure, Quebec. In 1982, its 12 employees went on a strike that lasted three years. Why is that? Because the employer called on the services of 12 replacement workers. After two years, those 12 workers requested union accreditation. That did not make any sense.
Using replacement workers is senseless and upsets the balance of power. Each time the representatives of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters and the Railway Association of Canada gave us examples, they said they wanted replacement workers, not strikes and labour disputes.
It appears that you are very well protected, Mr. Mackay, because you spoke about legislation that maintains your services in the event of a strike. As noted earlier, section 84 and subsection 94(2.4) of the Canada Labour Code are included in the proposed bill.
That being said, the Quebec Essential Services Act contains 94 pages. It was adopted by the Government of Quebec in 1975, whereas anti-scab legislation was passed in 1977. Therefore, the Essential Services Act was not a response to the anti-scab legislation; it was a response to public servants' right to strike.
In Quebec and elsewhere, medical specialists are threatening to go on strike. I am sure you will agree that the situation is much more serious when medical specialists want to strike than when railway workers or journalists want to do so. Public health and safety are serious considerations, which are accounted for in the Canada Labour Code and anti-scab legislation.
Mr. Ménard gave us statistics regarding Quebec. Past experience is important, both in Quebec and in British Columbia. I of course know more about the Quebec experience. The statistics on person-days lost, which compare the provincial and federal sectors, support Quebec's approach.
I ask the representatives of the Communications, Energy and Labour Workers Union of Canada and of Teamsters Canada to give us examples. In Quebec, you must surely have groups under both federal and provincial jurisdiction who have gone on strike. Could you speak about your experiences in this respect?