Mr. Speaker, it is a little upsetting that the hon. member from wherever who arrived in the House about two minutes ago did not hear the first part of the speech where we pointed out why business said they need the law in order to make sure that everybody gets treated fairly.
I have heard from the hon. gentleman opposite, so let me give him a list of other companies from his own region that are endorsing it: Canadian National Railway, the Bank of Montreal, Sun Life, the Royal Bank of Canada, B.C. Hydro. And listen to this: Alberta Government Telephones is endorsing it. I do not know how far he wants to stretch the case, but by extension I suppose we could say that Ralph Klein is in favour of this, or at least his crown corporation is.
To make the point more directly, in a Compas poll that was done of Ontario companies when the debate was going on, only 8 per cent of Ontario companies said they would stop their programs if the employment equity law was repealed, and 68 per cent, more than two-thirds, said that they would continue with an employment equity program once it was established and they had learned the value of it.
There is a value in fairness. Canadians understand it, businesses understand it. The only people who do not seem to understand it are certain members opposite, who are still probably reading whatever strange imported foreign-based literature they derive their ideas from. Might I suggest that perhaps if they could look at the Canadian case, look at the practicality of how it has worked, look at the value it has, then we might get more light and less heat from the members opposite.
I am going to speak for a moment to the members of the Reform Party.