Mr. Speaker, members of the Canadian Police Association are in Ottawa this week to build support for the principle that RCMP officers should be granted the right to collective bargaining and access to a grievance process that involves an independent third party.
We in the New Democratic Party support this idea now just as we did last year after hundreds of RCMP officers gathered on Parliament Hill calling on the government to withdraw Bill C-58 which would have weakened the labour rights of RCMP officers rather than strengthen them.
Other police forces in Canada enjoy collective bargaining rights without undermining the special functions of police officers in our society. There is no reason that RCMP officers should be denied their basic labour rights.
I call on the government to listen to the Canada Labour Commission and to begin the process of developing legislation to grant RCMP officers what is after all only their right.