Thank you.
Actually, I have a couple of comments. I think what we've heard around this table from witnesses is that the 2004 task force report was world class, one of the best done. I'm not just saying that because Professor Bilson is from Saskatoon, but I'll add that there. She was the first woman chair of a labour relations board and whatnot. It was ahead of its time. It was extensive, and that's what we've heard over and over again. We've also heard three main points and I would like your comments on them.
One was that the legislation needs to be proactive, and it should cover both public and private sectors. It needs to be a stand-alone type of legislation, which was the point you mentioned earlier, Minister Mihychuk, because it takes a skill set and an expertise that aren't found in other places. If the resources aren't there within the Canadian Human Rights Commission or within the Canada labour department, then those things don't get done.
We heard that in the first round in 2004, the private sector employers did support it with some reservations, but contained in those recommendations there was a flexibility with regard to employer size and whatnot. I think the other point to make is that the complaint-based process allowed employers, when there were settlements for pay equity, to pay less—50 cents on the dollar—for settlements, and that means that in some ways there was a bargaining away of pay equity, and you can imagine what that would be like if you'd been waiting for 30 years for pay equity and you were going to take a 50-cent dollar. That is not pay equity.
I strongly believe that this committee will provide you with guidance based on some pretty credible witnesses and some consistency in what people we've talked to have said. I would like to hear your general comments about this. The last thing is to have a timeline. We heard that in Quebec it took a little bit longer, but that's because it was one of the first and it was challenged by the unions because it was going to exclude the private sector. The private sector is now included.
Two large jurisdictions have gone ahead of us, so I think we can move forward, and it would be nice to know, point blank, if you would be supportive of stand-alone proactive pay equity legislation in this mandate. I'm asking both of you.