Mr. Chairman, I will be brief. I want to say a word on the amendment proposed by the NDP, in co-operation with the Bloc Quebecois. We are proposing this amendment following meetings with union negotiators who are concerned about the current wording of the bill.
They are concerned about the concept of private corporation, of business venture, since the raison d'être of Canada Post is to provide to the public a service that is meant to be very personalized, direct and efficient, with the help of its employees.
A short while ago, after my first speech, I received a telephone call in my office from a postal worker in Edmonton. He wanted to thank the Bloc Quebecois for defending his interests. His first name is Ron. He told me “I voted for the Liberal Party the last time, but I wonder how its members, given what they were saying back then, can now introduce this legislation, which follows the same pattern as the negotiations did”. By this he meant that the negotiations were biased from the beginning.
The government introduced a bill, supposedly to restore a public service, but the mediator's objectivity is already tainted, first because the government is appointing this person alone, instead of doing it through a consultation process and, second, because the mediator's mandate under clause 9 is in contradiction with the corporation's fundamental role. This is why the amendment must absolutely be supported by all the parties, to do justice to Canada Post employees, but also to reflect the corporation's actual role.