Madam Speaker, I am delighted to speak to this bill before the House, an act respecting the Employment Equity Act.
I support the bill because the principles for which it stands are very sound. Moreover we anticipate that the provisions and the regulations that will emanate following the study of this bill will be sound in practice as well.
In essence, the Employment Equity Act is challenging us to put into practice the principles that describe the core values of Canada. The values about which we are speaking relate to the merit principle, to excellence, to human dignity, to respect, to the very core values that Canadians hold dear, to fairness and equality.
I heard earlier there was concern that we would only address the victims as though the victims have no talents, as though the victims have no competence, as though the victims have no excellence. The very essence of the Employment Equity Act is to hold very high the principle of excellence and merit above all else, irrespective of colour, irrespective of gender, irrespective of disability and irrespective of origin as a people.