Thank you, Mr. Chair.
First of all, this is not my first trip to Newfoundland, but let me say that Newfoundland has risen to the occasion, as usual. I'm very happy to be here. It's a wonderful place.
I have several things.
First of all, to Mr. Sutherland, I'd be very happy to go and visit this gentleman. I don't know whether our schedule will allow, but we'll talk to our chair about this. This is not the first case, you know. I've been in immigration for a long time. I would have thought that what we call humanitarian reasons for staying in this country...given that the grandchildren have no father, and so on. I won't go into the details, but let me just say this, Mr. Sutherland. There are hundreds of cases like this. As an MP with a heavy immigration population in Laval, just north of Montreal, I could tell you horror stories, but I won't take the time to do it now.
I will address the rest of the questions to all three of you, because it's essentially the same problem. I'm very glad to have heard your point of view.
In Quebec, which is where I come from, I've been preoccupied by the working conditions of these temporary workers. This is what hits the newspapers. This is what I talk to the people on the ground about. But since I've been moving around with this committee, I've understood that there is another side to the question, the other side being the employers' point of view, the union's point of view, and so on.
I'm just appalled—appalled—when I hear that temporary workers are used as strikebreakers. I mean, we're going back to 19th century in Britain, for God's sake. So I will ask you to let the clerk or the chair.... I would be very interested, because some of the cases that you mentioned in Ontario and so on, coming from Quebec, perhaps, I haven't heard of, and I'd be very interested in hearing more about these cases. If you could send the documentation to the chair, it will get around to all of us. I'd really like to know more about the circumstances, the court decisions, whatever. This is, I think, extremely important.
To Mr. Wade, on the equity issue, obviously the equity issue is very important, for both women and aboriginal Newfoundlanders. You talked about the government's role, but surely the union has a role in this as well. Surely the union can make it known to its members and its non-members, and the wives and daughters of its members, that.... You know, you can start programs to bring women in. I've done this kind of thing for women immigrants in Montreal, for example, and I would strongly suggest that the Newfoundland and Labrador provincial government also have a hand in this.
Sure, there are equity issues that can be dealt with by the federal government, but the federal government is only one partner. I would strongly urge you, as a union man--and your colleagues as well--to put together a program. I think this is where it really should get started, not out there in Ottawa. The idea is extremely important.
You're smiling, so I can see there are some other things going through.
Yes, David.