Evidence of meeting #70 for Transport, Infrastructure and Communities in the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was unionized.
A video is available from Parliament.
4 p.m.
Liberal
Denis Coderre Liberal Bourassa, QC
One thing is clear: I don't want our screwing up the study, so let's focus.
I want to know about LabourWatch because it's the first time I'm meeting you. When I looked at your website, the things I saw on “Frequently Asked Questions” were: “How to Cancel a Union Card”, “How to Decertify a Union”, “How to File a ULP Complaint”. Your role is what? Is it to get rid of unions, or to be a labour watch?
4:05 p.m.
President, Canadian LabourWatch Association
Every Canadian employee has a statutory right to join a union, sign a union card, not sign a union card, or cancel a union card.
Multi-million dollar unions have very capable, talented professionals and lawyers who help employees who want to be unionized. But Mr. Coderre, our system is so biased against union-free workers that there is no one to help them understand their legal rights.
4:05 p.m.
Liberal
4:05 p.m.
President, Canadian LabourWatch Association
No, but that's why we have that information there for people.
4:05 p.m.
Liberal
Denis Coderre Liberal Bourassa, QC
All I'm asking is okay, we have a study on infrastructure. Now you're saying that for the sake of our taxpayers' money, you think we'll have a better infrastructure if we have free tendering, that union is bad and non-union is good. Is that what you're saying?
4:05 p.m.
President, Canadian LabourWatch Association
We need to take away the legislated bias in favour of a minority of workers that accords inappropriate powers and a negative influence for taxpayers. Absolutely, sir.
4:05 p.m.
Liberal
Denis Coderre Liberal Bourassa, QC
So that's basically it. You want to get rid of unions because you believe they are bad.
4:05 p.m.
President, Canadian LabourWatch Association
No. Mr. Coderre, with respect, please do not put words in my mouth.
4:05 p.m.
Liberal
4:05 p.m.
President, Canadian LabourWatch Association
Okay. No. Just as I have a choice to be able to join a union, I should have an equal right to cancel a union card and decertify a union. My ability to work on a job site whether I'm unionized or union-free should be equal, and the facts are that it's not.
There is a legislative discriminatory bias against people, and I just can't believe that in this country, in this era, we let that go on.
4:05 p.m.
Liberal
Denis Coderre Liberal Bourassa, QC
Now you can go up to the Supreme Court. We already have a case on that. We should apply it, and blah, blah, blah.
What I'm looking for is infrastructure. Do you have a specific study saying there is an impact if the infrastructure is built by unionized people versus non-unionized people? Is that what you're saying?
4:05 p.m.
President, Canadian LabourWatch Association
You're engaging in a study. What I would say is there's a lot of information out there that either exists or needs to be brought to bear to understand how we can get better value and have better work and a more productive workplace.
Quebec, which has forced unionization in construction, unlike no other part of the country, appears to have the greatest problems with its infrastructure than anywhere in this country.
4:05 p.m.
Liberal
Denis Coderre Liberal Bourassa, QC
With all respect, I'm from Quebec. It's not forced. We chose. We have policies. We elected people, and we made up legislation. We didn't force anybody.
I'm a radical centre. My heart is at the left, but my wallet is at the right. We can have some social choice without being irresponsible. We can be responsible too.
What I'm looking for is I'm trying to understand the role of LabourWatch in our study. That's why I'm asking those questions.
Last week we had our friend Mr. Oakley, who spoke about Hamilton and some specific study. Did LabourWatch itself do a study regarding what you're talking about?
4:05 p.m.
President, Canadian LabourWatch Association
Not a specific study on infrastructure. No.
4:05 p.m.
Liberal
Denis Coderre Liberal Bourassa, QC
You understand that for most of it, infrastructure is kind of one-third, one-third, one-third: municipalities, provincial, and federal.
What kind of recommendation would you say if it's the case about the funding itself? Are you saying if we're not having, in your mind, a free way of tendering that the federal government shouldn't put the money? What kind of recommendation would you put forward?
4:05 p.m.
President, Canadian LabourWatch Association
My hope would be that some government in this country, be it federal or provincial, will begin to show some leadership and join the rest of the world that is protecting working people from forced union membership and all of the other coercive things that only exist in Canada now and don't exist anywhere else.
So you can begin by saying that any federal dollar that goes out on the one-third, one-third, one-third doesn't go out if there is some sort of legal scheme in place that will prevent a union-free taxpayer from working on that job.
4:05 p.m.
Liberal
Denis Coderre Liberal Bourassa, QC
So your recommendation would say if it's not a free tendering, no money from the federal government.
4:05 p.m.
Liberal
Denis Coderre Liberal Bourassa, QC
That's a recommendation. I don't support that, but that's a recommendation. They probably will enjoy it on the other side. They are next. They will ask you the questions.
Is there any other recommendation you would have in mind? We spoke a lot about the money. Do you believe we should put more private sector in infrastructure itself when we have some organization like private-public partnership? What's your point of view on that?
4:10 p.m.
President, Canadian LabourWatch Association
On an overall basis, government in this country is too big and does too many things. We would be a better nation and we would have better results if we had private sector enterprises competing on so many more things than we do. There is no reason to have most of the crown corporations we have in this country, and there are many government departments that should be radically smaller or simply not exist.
4:10 p.m.
Liberal
Denis Coderre Liberal Bourassa, QC
Do you have an example of a public-private partnership that is indeed efficient right now?
4:10 p.m.
President, Canadian LabourWatch Association
I am not an expert on public-private partnerships, and I didn't suggest that.
