Thank you, Madam Chair.
My name is Scott Streiner, and I am Assistant Deputy Minister of Policy, Dispute Resolution and International Affairs with the labour program. I am pleased to be here today to speak about the labour program's mandate and activities.
Recovery from the global economic downturn is, as we all know, a central priority for the government, parliamentarians and the Canadian public. The labour program plays an important role in supporting renewed prosperity and the well-being of individual Canadians by fostering healthy, fair work environments where motivation and productivity are high, and innovation is encouraged.
Our efforts are focused on several lines of activity.
First, the labour program provides mediation and conciliation services to federally regulated employers and unions engaged in collective bargaining. These services facilitate the resolution of differences without a strike or lockout, an outcome important not only to the parties involved but also to the economy as a whole.
Of the 530 collective agreements finalized in the federal jurisdiction during the last four years, 95% were settled without a work stoppage, and this was true even during the fiscal year now coming to an end, despite the difficult economic conditions. Increasingly, the labour program is placing emphasis not only on reactive interventions to resolve conflicts, but also on preventive mediation, which is designed to improve relations and reduce the likelihood of labour disruptions before they erupt.
A second line of activity is ensuring compliance with occupational health and safety requirements. Workplaces where people are safe from injury and occupational illness are more productive and dynamic. Employers and workers agree that every Canadian should be able to return home safe and sound after a day riding the rails, climbing broadcasting towers, or serving customers at the local bank.
Third, the labour program enforces employment standards and provides workers with recourse when the "rules of the game" around pay, leave or hours of work have not been respected. It is important that these rules keep pace with changing realities, such as workers' need to balance employment, family, and civic responsibilities, and employers' need for flexibility in how they retain and deploy their workforces.
During 2009-2010, the labour program conducted stakeholder consultations to explore possible steps to modernize federal employment standards. The results of these consultations are currently being assessed.
Fourth, the labour program helps workers get compensated for wages owed when their employers go bankrupt or enter into receivership. During the 2009-10 fiscal year the labour program oversaw the expansion of the wage earner protection program to cover severance and termination pay, a measure included in the economic action plan announced in Budget 2009. Thanks to the WEPP, which is delivered on the ground by our partners in Service Canada, almost 18,000 workers passing through one of the most challenging periods of their lives have received compensation since the program was inaugurated in July 2008.
Fifth, the labour program implements employment equity programs and related initiatives, such as the racism-free workplace strategy, which foster inclusive workplaces that can take full advantage of the skills and talents of all Canadians, a goal whose importance has grown as the Canadian labour force has become increasing diverse.
Sixth, the labour program ensures a level playing field for Canadian companies and workers in a globalized economy and promotes Canadian interests and values abroad by negotiating and implementing international labour standards and agreements. In recent years labour program officials have negotiated labour cooperation agreements with all four of Canada's newest free trade partners--Peru, Colombia, Jordan, and Panama.
Finally, the labour program collects, analyzes, and disseminates information on workplace trends and industrial relation trends to Canadian employers, academics, unions, and policy-makers.
Underpinning all of this work is a commitment to excellence in service delivering, in policy development, and in management of the organization and its allocated resources. During 2009 the labour program undertook a strategic review of its activities to ensure, consistent with the government's expenditure management system, that its programs remain relevant and Canadians are getting value for money. The savings resulting from the labour program's strategic review are included in Budget 2010.
I hope, Madam Chair, that this overview of the labour program's mandate and priorities has been helpful, and I look forward to responding with my colleagues to questions from the committee.
Thank you.