Mr. Speaker, because the matter of the labour strike comes under my responsibilities I would be more than happy, if less adequate than my colleague, the Minister of Agriculture, to answer the member's question.
What is happening right now is the basis of a long and drawn out negotiation that we have been watching. We have provided conciliation officers in the past. The parties as they reported this weekend are not that far apart and could settle their differences very quickly if they went back to the table.
While we recognize the gravity of the situation, there is a collective bargaining process we believe is important to honour. However, the government will stand by and monitor carefully. If the parties want mediation services we will be more than happy to provide them. We really believe that in this case labour and management can come to an agreement through honest collective bargaining.