Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Quebecois is opposed to passing that legislation today. We are aware of the impact of a work stoppage in a sector such as railway operations. The minister said that Canada must be a reliable supplier and she also pointed out the economic consequences of such a conflict. However, she did not say anything about the plight of those who-and they did not do it for the fun of it-had to walk out under very unpleasant conditions.
As far as I know, Canada has a labour code. If back-to-work legislation is tabled every time the Labour Code is invoked by workers who have no other means to negotiate a settlement, this means that the mechanisms required to ensure strict and fair labour relations do not exist.
What this bill really does is prove the employers right. I wish that were not the case, but just take a look at the newspapers and read the recommendations made by commissioner Hope, who reviewed the issue. He says that the employers were very uncompromising and that, in fact, the unions' demands were never taken into consideration.
It is very easy to speak against a given union or union member. However, let us not forget that company managers and
executives often enjoy personal benefits, salaries, bonuses and stocks which do not make any sense and which do not exist in other countries. I always think of Japan, where the gap between employers and employees' salaries is much narrower than it is here.
Canadian workers are in a difficult situation. No one mentions the fact that, over the years, they waived many rights to preserve a single one: the right to a job. It is important that these workers can tell all Canadians that they made concessions, but that they are not prepared to lose the essential in an industry which needs skilled workers.
It is important to remember, although this is not necessarily popular, that workers have acquired certain rights and that, at the very least, they have the right to exercise this kind of pressure-not an easy thing to do-to show that they exist and to avoid being crushed by the system.
I would have liked to hear the minister talk about people. If the government decided to intervene every time certain behaviours were found to be harmful to the economy, it would often have cause to do so, not only in labour disputes. It would intervene in the case of companies whose practices do not promote productivity. Workers are not pawns, they are people. If a company is to be productive, workers must have working conditions that reflect a minimum of fairness, otherwise the cost will be far greater than that of a strike that does neither party any good.
Yes, some workers are on strike, but others have been locked out. And others were swept along because they refused to cross picket lines. All things considered, we are not very happy about the situation.
However, this does not mean we should deny these workers their rights. Canadians should at least be told about the conditions they gave up for the sake of one, and that these workers should have access to a fair and equitable settlement. Today, we should confirm their right to use pressure to defend their position and to engage in free collective bargaining. Otherwise, if employers can always count on the government to deal with their problems, they will never agree to a fair settlement.
Sure, they have certain constraints. Sure, these constraints are genuine. But in a situation like this, there are always two parties, and employers cannot take the position that only their interests should guide Parliament and the government. For these reasons, because we want to encourage free collective bargaining, because we want workers to be able to stand up for their rights and because we want Parliament to respect its own legislation-I am referring to the Canada Labour Code-we will not agree to fast tracking this legislation today.