Mr. Speaker, I would have liked to be able to say that I was pleased to rise today on Bill C-317. Unfortunately, earlier incidents prevent me from doing so.
However, today, I will take a few moments to deal with it, and then I will talk about related issues. They are indeed related because, to a large extent, they have to do with remarks we heard today and I want to spend some more time dealing with those.
The bill sponsored by the member for Manicouagan is aimed at amending the Canada Labour Code with respect to public service staff relations. As it stands, this piece of legislation respecting the Canada Labour Code is relevant; unfortunately, I cannot support it. I believe that the proposals cannot be examined independently from the federal government's general approach to industrial relations.
Prohibiting the use of replacement workers and maintenance of essential services must be considered in the context of a comprehensive review of the Canada Labour Code.
Indeed, amending only one aspect of the Canada Labour Code is the wrong way to proceed; a certain balance must be achieved when considering changes to labour laws. I am sure that this is what the government will be seeking when it eventually chooses to amend the Canada Labour Code.