Good morning, ladies. Thank you for being here.
After everything that I have been hearing today and for a while now, I must say that I am pleased that Ms. Demers has acknowledged that we all want to work together to gain a better understanding. I am having some trouble understanding the arguments, as someone who does not come from a union background, has never been a member of a union in her entire life and who always believed that a union was there “to defend the rights of the workers it represents”. What I understand from this legislation—the role of the employer was mentioned—is that the union has to be involved in order to ensure that pay equity for women is part and parcel of the collective agreement, so there is no more discrimination and that this right is laid out in black and white. As you stated, it is a fundamental right of women to receive the same salary as men. We all agree on that around this table. As I see it, the union is there to act as a “watchdog” with the employer, to ensure that women receive a level of compensation equal to that of men. When I hear these kinds of reactions, I am a little taken aback, because that is not how I had understood, and continue to understand, this legislation. I have no desire to do anything that would harm the cause of women—quite the opposite. I am a member of the Standing Committee on the Status of Women because I want to advance that cause.
We also have to think about the ones coming up behind us—our children. I have two daughters aged 20 and 21. When I talk to them about the status of women and everything that we do here, they look at me as if to say they don't see any problem, even though it is a well-known fact, as all of us here are aware, that they will still face this issue 20 years from now. I am having trouble understanding. Pay equity is not a negotiable right, any more than other rights are, but I can tell you we certainly did not intend—at least I did not, and I never saw it that way—for unions to be… We all know that the employer pays the salaries, but the union has to be there to ensure that this fundamental right of women is acknowledged. I think it is appropriate for them to sit down all together to ensure that women have equal status and are given the same rights. That is something I would like to do--