moved for leave to introduce Bill C-317, an act to amend the Canada Labour Code and the Public Service Staff Relations Act (scabs and essential services).
Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to move, on behalf of the Bloc Quebecois, an anti-scab bill. This bill would prohibit the hiring of scabs by employers under federal jurisdiction, by crown corporations or by the Canadian public service and would also legislate on the maintenance of essential services during a strike or a lockout within the public service or crown corporations.
This bill is to allow for labour relations to take place in a civilized context so that, in many cases, social peace can be restored.
It is inconceivable that the federal government has not yet passed such a legislation when more than 70 per cent of Canadian workers are already protected against scabs, that is in Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia. The lack of a federal anti-scab legislation is often the cause of the worsening of labour-management negotiations. During negotiations, the equity of pressure tactics amounts to the respect of the parties. An anti-scab legislation means the respect and dignity of workers.
It is high time that the federal government take some measures to put an end to labour disputes such as the one at Ogilvie Mills of Montreal, which have been on strike for nine months now.
(Motion deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed.)