Evidence of meeting #17 for Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities in the 45th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was families.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Liberal
Patty Hajdu Liberal Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON
In fact, there was a lot of labour action under previous governments—
Conservative
Liberal
Patty Hajdu Liberal Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON
Section 107 says that the minister, when the minister deems it expedient, may do things to secure industrial peace.
What do you say to the organized labour members who are working in auto plants or other kinds of facilities or organizations? What do you say when there is a labour disruption that impacts the entire economy of Canada?
Conservative
Kyle Seeback Conservative Dufferin—Caledon, ON
The auto sector is not affected by a flight attendant strike.
Liberal
Patty Hajdu Liberal Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON
I would say that these are reserved for extremely rare circumstances.
Conservative
Kyle Seeback Conservative Dufferin—Caledon, ON
Minister, you put out a video on Twitter on August 16, where you said that nobody should be expected to work for free.
Do you recall that?
Conservative
Kyle Seeback Conservative Dufferin—Caledon, ON
Great.
You had a meeting with CUPE air on July 3, 2024. They told you that they were unpaid for pre- and post-flight activities. You met with them on July 23. They told you they were unpaid for pre- and post-flight activities. You met with them on August 12. They told you they were unpaid for pre- and post-flight activities. You met with them on August 15, and they told you, "We are unpaid for pre- and post-flight activities."
Then you ordered them back to work under their existing agreement, which continues them being unpaid for those activities, and then you put out a statement saying that nobody should work for free.
You knew that they were working for free; they told you in those meetings.
Are you familiar with the term gaslighting? You just gaslit every flight attendant with that video, or are you saying that, when they told you they work for free, they were lying to you?
Liberal
Patty Hajdu Liberal Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON
What I said was that we would conduct a probe to understand the perspective of flight attendants and the industry—
Conservative
Kyle Seeback Conservative Dufferin—Caledon, ON
Did they or did they not tell you, in those five meetings I mentioned, that they worked for free in pre- and post-flight activities?
Liberal
Patty Hajdu Liberal Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON
In fact, in those five meetings, many things were discussed—
Liberal
Patty Hajdu Liberal Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON
—including the impasse that they found themselves at—
Liberal
Patty Hajdu Liberal Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON
—that they needed to resolve in order to get to a new collective agreement.
I will point out that two days after this was referred to the Canada Industrial Relations Board, the parties did agree, so the collective agreement—
Conservative
Liberal
Patty Hajdu Liberal Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON
Are you saying that the flight attendants signed a collective agreement that they don't agree with?
Liberal
Conservative
Liberal
Patty Hajdu Liberal Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON
But they did sign a collective agreement, and you just said that they're still—
Conservative
Kyle Seeback Conservative Dufferin—Caledon, ON
Did they advise you in those five meetings before you ordered them back to work that they were unpaid for pre-and post-flight activities?
It's a simple question; just answer “yes” or “no”. Did they advise you of that?
Liberal
Patty Hajdu Liberal Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON
There were many things discussed in those meetings.
One of the things that was discussed was—
Conservative
Kyle Seeback Conservative Dufferin—Caledon, ON
I can't wait to put this testimony to the flight attendants union when they come. You won't even answer a simple question as to whether they advised you of that.
Liberal
Patty Hajdu Liberal Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON
I asked the labour department, “To our knowledge, have there ever been any complaints of unpaid work?” In fact, the labour department could not find any.