Sure. I can do it in French, if you want me to.
I apologize to the interpreter.
Anyone who has been to China and met the Chinese exporters or shipping companies can tell you that one of the first questions asked to any visiting Canadian delegation pitching for an increase in Asia's North American trade through Canada is, what about your labour situation? This may refer to the ports, the truckers, or the railways, but to be sure, every work stoppage that leads to delays in moving our customers' goods to market hurts our competitive position and hurts Canada's competitive position.
The government sees great promise in the Pacific gateway initiative. There is talk in Atlantic Canada of an Atlantic gateway initiative. We at CN see great promise as well, but we do not underestimate how quickly our competitive advantages can be lost because of an uncertain labour environment. We at CN are extremely excited by the potential of the new container port that will open this fall in Prince Rupert.
Traditionally, labour legislation has been drafted carefully after lengthy consultation with both labour and management. Existing federal legislation reflects years of discussion and consideration. In the end, it represents a compromise approach, under which neither side gets everything it wants. To arbitrarily change one aspect of the Canada Labour Code destroys that careful balance and has the potential to significantly damage labour relations in the companies covered by the act.
There are many changes we'd like to see made to the current law, and I am sure the unions also have a long list. It is indeed time to consider or reconsider the current legislation, and do it in the right way. Appoint a panel of experts to look at the law in its entirety and bring forward a set of recommendations reflecting the concerns of all parties based on facts and experience.
Finally, Mr. Chairman, CN believes that Bill C-257 is seriously flawed and cannot be sufficiently improved through amendment, and urges the members of the committee to vote against the bill in its entirety.
Thank you very much.