Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his question. I believe it is a legitimate one.
I want to make two distinctions right off the bat. This bill is not about quotas. I do not support a quota system. It is not the right way to go. What I do support is a legislative framework that tells employers in the federal section, crown corporations and federal government departments that there is a reality out there. There are many members who are still in denial about the reality of barriers to participation in the labour market. They are real.
This direction in legislation I hope would never say someone has to be hired who is not qualified for the job. That is not what it is about. It sets in process a conscious mechanism so that a business, department or crown corporation can make sure that if there are no natives employed but they are 22 per cent of the population, that there must be some barriers to participation somewhere. If the barrier is simply that no native has been hired, then by setting targets for the participation of native employees sends out a signal.
But no, I do not agree. I would not support a bill that tells an employer to hire someone who is not qualified for the position. The member knows as well as I do, if you are dealing with an entry level or mid-level position, many times the minimum qualification for the job does not mean the applicant has to be a rocket scientist but may require a grade 12 education, someone able to lift a box, punch a typewriter or a keyboard, or operate a furnace. I do not know.
This bill does not compel anybody to hire an individual based on gender or colour.
It compels the corporate sector within the federally regulated area and the federal government to ensure that where those inequities are identifiable they have conscious programs to try to encourage the participation of qualified minority candidates.
It does not do anything other than that and if the member thinks it does I feel sorry for him. I would ask for him to reread the legislation because I think he is off in a direction not consistent with the goals of the bill.