Mr. Minister, with all due respect, it is not your role to specify the balance that should exist between employers and employees. We are working neither on behalf of unions or employers, our job is to prevent problems. Quebec and British Columbia have enjoyed harmonious employer-employee relations because they opted for a progressive approach.
I would remind you that, in Ontario, it was Mike Harris's government that withdrew the bill that had been previously tabled. Should you not blaze your own trail rather than lagging behind, waiting to see what happens elsewhere? You know full well that there is potential for problems to arise. We should not wait for a complaint to be lodged with the Canada Industrial Relations Board. As a watchdog, your role is to ensure that labour conditions are conducive to employment.
Again, I would ask whether you are always going to wait to see what happens in other jurisdictions? If that is not your intention, are you going to lead the way by offering real protection to workers and employers, so that we can avoid the horrendous costs of strikes?