Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
I want to begin by thanking each and every one of you for coming before this body today to provide some evidence and important testimony on what is I think a bit of a watershed moment for the RCMP and its members.
Just to give you a little bit of personal background, I'm a former federal prosecutor, with over 10 years of service with the PPSC, which before was the Federal Prosecution Service. In that capacity I was the president of the Association of Justice Counsel, which was the first association to represent DOJ civil lawyers and federal prosecutors at the bargaining table. So I just want to tell you there is light at the end of the tunnel.
I was there when we were certified and we had to go and compete for it. I was there when we did our first two rounds of collective bargaining. I was there when we regrettably had to actually engage in some litigation with the government. Hopefully it doesn't come to that. I think that your appearance today will be part of a productive and ongoing dialogue as we make our way towards your end goals, your workplace goals.
I've got three areas I'd like to focus on, and most of them can fall under the broad category of exclusions. I take it from your written submissions that this is an area of primary importance. I'm talking specifically about what I think is proposed subsection 238.19, where the exclusions...what would not be bargainable, if I can put in just more general language.
Let's talk quickly about harassment, and I don't mean to do the subject any disservice, but I know that there is a lot of history there. It's well documented. There is active litigation. It's a delicate issue. Can I ask, are there other collective bargaining agreements, that you have come across where harassment has been on the bargaining table? It really is an open question. I don't have anybody in mind in answering this.