So then there is a bad side, concerns around the many workers that this bill misses--for one, 500 Canwest workers laid off in November, and the others before them.
Bill C-50 in its current form.... There are some situations that arise. At Catalyst Paper in Campbell River, there's a three-phase closure: the sawmill in the spring, the pulp mill in November, and the paper mill probably this February. These people all work together. This bill will cover fewer than half of them. That's a concern for the people I represent and the community I live in.
The other concern is that the people who are best protected, with the most severance, with those kinds of contractual obligations behind them, will get the most benefit. The people with the least amount have the least protection; they'll run out of time and won't be able to push past. If you're shut down in November and you don't have enough severance to take you through until January 4, you'll be excluded. All of the people in the sawmill in the spring will be excluded.
The conditions set out to claim the extended benefit are way too numerous, again pushing employees that are at the most risk of production curtailments outside the scope.
Thank you.