Mr. Speaker, these negotiations have not been about one issue. These negotiations are about a number of issues which we all agree are best to be left to the two parties at the table to resolve.
One issue cannot be looked at, such as why this, why not that. I think that is something the mediator probably asked. I was not the mediator and it is what the two parties have tried to do.
With respect to the member's second question about 4,000 employees being laid off, no one knows how many people are going to be laid off. Where do we get these figures? We look to see what has happened in the last two weeks. We see the people who have been laid off, the part time people, the people who need work now, especially at Christmas so that they can buy their families the things they need.
What about those people? How can we quantify? What I am asking everyone to do today is to bring us together and to make sure that we try to make this thing much better. Vote for the legislation today.