Mr. Chairman, it is always a pleasure to speak under your supervision.
I wanted to say that this is a very important amendment because, if we go for the status quo, this is purely and simply neo-liberal waffle about efficiency without any reference to the true nature of the corporation. Believe it or not, the initial wording of this provision did not even mention—what gall, and I can see the House leader nod in approval—that it was a public service.
What is at issue today, which this amendment brings into focus, is of course that one can be unionized and at the same time believe in productivity. One can be an efficient unionized worker, a unionized worker who believes that sound labour-management relations are required if we want things to go well in the workplace.
Productivity does not come out of thin air. It comes with motivation in the workplace. To be committed to one's work, one needs to feel respected. In turn, this requires that one's day-to-day working conditions be negotiated.
This particular amendment, put forward by both the Bloc and the NDP—and hopefully others will support it too—very clearly states that, in order for this productivity to be achieved, there have to be sound labour-management relations. Labour-management relations may be considered as an acceptable requirement. We are saying that how the mediator-arbitrator makes decisions and brings both parties together will have to be a clear objective. It is important that we, as parliamentarians, have the courage to say and to reaffirm this. That is what this amendment encourages us to do.