Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Distinguished members, we cannot thank you enough for the opportunity to address you today. I am going to speak rather quickly since we're short on time.
As my colleague mentioned earlier, I retired from the RCMP in early June 2011. I served the force for 35 years, retiring at the staff sergeant level. I spent over 30 years, 20 of them immediately prior to my retirement, as a division staff representative, and I was elected a total of eight times, almost consecutively.
I want to bring up an issue that has caused me some confusion. Bill C-42 stems from Bill C-43, which made its way to second reading on December 13, 2010. That bill was called An Act to Enact the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Labour Relations Modernization Act and to Amend the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Act and to Make Consequential Amendments to Other Acts.
The bill was sponsored by a key Conservative minister, Stockwell Day. Mainly, the bill sought to establish an entire labour relations regime where an independent arbitration system would be governed by the Public Service Labour Relations Act.
When introducing the bill in the House, Minister Day referenced an Ontario court ruling. He said and I quote:
It is an act that would meet the demand of the court and say that certain provisions would have to be followed, certain constitutional guarantees of representation by members would be put in place, but it would leave that choice to RCMP members. That is the nub of the issue. Those are the minister's very own words.
He went on to say:
There are a number of grievance- and disciplinary-related areas in th[is] particular modernization that would assist the public and assist RCMP members.
Finally, he said:
I believe there is some support for having this legislation in place pending a final ruling [because, at the time, the matter was before the Court of Appeal for Ontario] so that whatever happens, the members of the RCMP, the men and women who have committed their lives to keeping us safe, to serving us as admirably as they do, will have the assurance that a mechanism will be in place that will not leave their concerns unattended whichever way the final ruling in court goes....I would invite careful analysis of this particular modernization act. I hope that we will find support for it. This is being done in a non-partisan way....
Thank you.