Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I'd also like to thank our guests for coming and giving us their opinions on Bill C-257.
I'll start by commenting on a certain number of statements by Mr. Bédard. I believe that everyone here understands that we have the delicate and important responsibility of making recommendations to the House of Commons concerning this bill. We're trying as hard as possible to grasp the essential aspects of your remarks. You represent a very influential organization, and I've tried to understand the grounds for your objection to Bill C-257. At the outset, you discussed the unwarranted politicization of labour relations. You said that opening the door to other changes would result in numerous complaints. Throughout the discussions, I didn't hear any actual examples of that. I looked elsewhere, and I believe that Mr. Vaydik gave us the best example of what we could apprehend, because he came up with something concrete.
I grew up in northern Quebec, in a region like the one Mr. Vaydik now represents and where Aboriginal communities also live. I was familiar with ice bridges which were used to transport timber and other materials. You cited that example and talked about a strike in the transportation field, trucking, for example. You said that approximately 110,500 shipments were transported over the ice bridges in a few weeks because the ice subsequently melted. When you explained that, I thought that you would surely talk about human beings at some point. But no, you told us that it was important to bring in equipment, tires and machinery to operate the mine. I thought you were surely talking about a salt mine, that there must be something. No, you were talking about diamond mines. I wondered what was so essential that we might apprehend the temporary stoppage of the mine's operations. Is lacking diamonds to decorate the jewellery of the earth's rich people something essential? I don't mean to offend you by saying that. On the contrary, I thank you because that clearly illustrates what's being sought through this bill.
If by chance there was some danger of a diamond shortage, essential goods or goods for the health of the Aboriginal communities, we could say that there shouldn't be any replacement workers, that we should see with the union—because these are sensible people—and agree on essential services. I'm thinking of the communities of Nunavut, Kuujuak, Juujjuarapik and Purvinituq. You're probably familiar with those communities, which are very isolated and, at the same time, organized, very self-sufficient, but that need essential services. I'm making these remarks to note the distinction that must be drawn between what is essential to a community and what is not.