Good morning.
Thank you for having us.
You will appreciate that we speak on behalf of a union that has 330,000 members in Canada. Our point of view may therefore be a bit different from that of the manufacturers.
We fully understand that we're talking about internal trade and what barriers might exist within the country. The international context requires us to do so. So we're not against the principle. We're also not convinced that, even if we eliminate all the barriers, our economy will rise to the next level.
When we ask entrepreneurs why they don't do business with other provinces in Canada, the main reason cited is distance. In the current context, we have to rethink our economy, but rethinking our geography is more difficult.
In addition, I would say that our economy has been very much based on foreign trade, not only with the United States, but also with Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. In fact, an article published by a major Montreal daily this morning says that Mr. Carney wants to continue to pursue free trade with other countries. We really need to recognize that that is how our economy is structured, particularly because the domestic market is very weak.
It must also be said that, in our opinion, one of the key challenges in our economy relates to productivity, whether in international trade or domestic trade. We are one of the few countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, or OECD, whose productivity is not only low, but has actually decreased. We think government action could really help increase productivity. This is a national undertaking that unions would enthusiastically participate in.
That said, in order to produce, you have to invest. We need to invest in equipment, personnel and the workforce, particularly in this era of technological change. Businesses will have to rise to those challenges, and we would like to help them do that.
Now let's return to the barriers between the provinces.
First, there are fewer barriers between the provinces than there are in all our international agreements. There is a myth in that regard. As I said at the outset, we can always look at regulations, which have to be adjusted to meet the expressed needs. So it is not a question of too many or not enough, but rather whether existing regulations are serving their intended purpose. If so, we should keep them. If not, how can they be changed?
We are particularly concerned about mutual recognition, which could be a downward spiral, particularly when it comes to occupational health and safety. We're a union. We work very hard to ensure that health and safety standards are met in Quebec. As of today, April 28, there have been 257 workplace deaths in Quebec in the past year. We don't think this is an area where regulations should be cut. In fact, the same thing goes for the environment.
We also have to be careful because when we open up internal trade or break down internal trade barriers, that creates barriers for all the countries with which we have treaties. There are many such countries, as I said at the outset.
As to the downward spiral within Canada and in our international trade, we must not just ask ourselves questions, we must ask ourselves the right questions.
Obviously, since I'm from Quebec, I could not finish without saying that recognition of French is very important to us. In terms of labour mobility and business mobility, we must absolutely be able to work in French. That was a major battle for the Confédération des syndicats nationaux, or CSN, when it was founded in 1921. We have to be able to work in French in Quebec and have safety rules in French. Of course, it's a matter of recognizing the language rights and the occupational health of the members we represent, primarily in Quebec.
Thank you.