Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I want to say, in closing, how proud I am of this study that the committee is conducting. I am very proud of my party, the NDP, for making the passage of anti-scab legislation a condition of its agreement with the minority Liberal government. This is something that has long been important to us, something we have spent years fighting for alongside the men and women who make up the labour movement. Restoring the balance of power at bargaining tables across the federal sector is vital so that each side has the ability to exert economic pressure on the other. When the use of replacement workers is permitted, only one side can exert that economic pressure, unfortunately.
My last question is for you, Ms. Brazeau.
As it stands, the bill provides that subcontractors hired by the employer prior to the date on which notice to bargain is given can continue those activities, as long as the activities remain the same and are carried out in the same manner and to the same extent. In other words, they can keep performing the same tasks as before for the same number of hours per week, but they can't take the place of employees in the bargaining unit involved in a labour dispute, strike or lockout.
If that provision is not amended, there needs to be a way to check whether the employer actually adhered to those requirements in the event of a complaint.
If the union files a complaint because it believes that the activities being carried out by a subcontractor changed, that the extent of those activities changed or that the subcontractor's work hours changed, what ability do you have to deal with that? Can you respond effectively and how soon?