Evidence of meeting #9 for Status of Women in the 40th Parliament, 3rd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was union.
A recording is available from Parliament.
3:55 p.m.
President, International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada
You're referring to the Ready report, I assume.
3:55 p.m.
President, International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada
I just want to point out--
3:55 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry
I'll stop you for a second. I won't take up the member's time.
Members should know that there is a report done by Vince Ready. It is available in English only, which is why we haven't given it to you. But it is available and it can be downloaded from a website. As well, you do have the recommendations from that report in both languages.
The report is quite an extraordinary thing to read. It sounds like something out of the Middle Ages. So people may want to read the report itself because it is quite disturbing.
I think that's what you were referring to, Ms. Simson?
3:55 p.m.
President, International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada
I'd like to point out that the Ready report was commissioned by the union. The union offered the employer to go fifty-fifty to conduct that study. The employer declined.
Mr. Ready conducted what some would say was a subjective study. There were a number of issues raised that needed to be addressed, and he made a number of recommendations on developing policies and procedures to eliminate discrimination and bad behaviour on the waterfront.
I'd like to point out also that, out of the Ready report, we offered with the employer to jointly... We contacted the United Steelworkers of America and attempted to adopt part of the program that they have developed over the years in the coastal forest industry and what have you. We offered to run a pilot project in the port of Vancouver. That was declined by the employer.
We recently had the first woman elected as the vice-president of ILWU Canada. There's a woman on the Local 500 executive. We have contacted the Canadian Labour Congress, and we are availing ourselves of the services that the Canadian Labour Congress can aid us with in regard to developing programs, not only in hiring but also retention, and better equipping women to participate in the union. So it's not only to work down there; it's also to become active in the union, and to take positions within the union.
3:55 p.m.
Liberal
Michelle Simson Liberal Scarborough Southwest, ON
Mr. Dufresne, that was going to be my next question.
The power-point presentation on the longshore division says that all officer positions in the union are elected.
4 p.m.
President, International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada
It would depend on the local. In the Canadian area, for instance--
4 p.m.
Liberal
4 p.m.
President, International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada
It's about 20 positions, I'd say, full time.
4 p.m.
Liberal
Michelle Simson Liberal Scarborough Southwest, ON
So 20 full-time positions, and you just made mention of the fact that the first female vice-president was recently elected--
4 p.m.
President, International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada
No, no, at ILWU Canada.
4 p.m.
Liberal
Michelle Simson Liberal Scarborough Southwest, ON
Okay.
Of those 20 elected in all the locals, how many would be women? Would it be safe to say “none”?
4 p.m.
Liberal
Michelle Simson Liberal Scarborough Southwest, ON
So there are no women at all.
Because the union has so much influence over what appears to be maybe a 50-year-old dispatch system, would it not make sense to try to get more women elected to the executive of the union?
4 p.m.
President, International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada
Well, that's what we're trying to do. That's why, before you cut me off--
4 p.m.
President, International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada
--I was saying that we had availed ourselves of the Canadian Labour Congress. Sister Byers here has a long history of working within the labour movement, obtaining one of the highest positions in the Canadian labour movement as executive vice-president of the Canadian Labour Congress. We've contacted the B.C. Human Rights Coalition. Sister O'Donnell has a long and storied career in human rights.
This work is to develop policies, not just to say, okay, here's something for window dressing. Part of what we're going to do, and what they're going to help us to do, is develop programs that will encourage women to participate, fully participate, in the union and in the workforce.
4 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry
Thank you very much.
I think we have come to the end of your time, Ms. Simson.
Now from the Bloc Québécois we have Madam Demers.
4 p.m.
Bloc
Nicole Demers Bloc Laval, QC
Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you for your attendance here today, Mr. Vurdela, Ms. Marynuik, Ms. Byers, Mr. Dufresne and Ms. O'Donnell.
Ms. Marynuik, hearing you speak reminded me of the story of Oliver Twist. It was very bleak, and I could see the difficulties women who work in these occupations may face, especially when they have to get to the docks in the morning, and so on.
It reminds me of when we, the 60 or so women who work in Parliament, arrive here. We experience the same thing. So, it does not just apply to people who work on the docks. When we get to Parliament, we realize that it is a men's world, that things are changing at a very slow pace and that we ourselves have to make that change if we want to improve the situation.
What I find strange is that both sides seem to want to have more women working as longshoremen. However, you have different ways of going about it. The union would like to implement measures to better welcome women into these occupations. The employers seem to want to hire a group of 200 women with no experience and no training, who do not know what they are getting into, simply in order to increase the number of women working in this field. However, the request was made after the union filed a harassment complaint. I am having some difficulty understanding and following the issue.
Ms. O'Donnell, can you tell me what you felt as you listened to Ms. Marynuik's testimony?
4 p.m.
Executive Director, B.C. Human Rights Coalition
I can't really dispute what she says about the environment because I'm new to this. There has been a lot of literature, but my problem as a human rights person is that the literature is all subjective and has all been done in confidentiality. So the stories that have been told by people are allegations that haven't been proven. We can't get to the motivation, so once again I'm saying we need to do an audit and find out what's there.
But what really bothers me in this whole situation is that the employer has now filed a human rights complaint against the union, stating all these things again. But the employer doesn't have standing in a human rights complaint. The women would, but they haven't filed a human rights complaint.
So I'm very confused by the actions of the employer. It might be because I'm just too new. I realize I've walked into a long-standing dispute between two parties.