Madam Speaker, I would like to do something unusual in talking about this issue. I would like to actually talk about the bill that we are debating, to share some of the aspects of this bill and discuss why I think we are here.
Let me say right off the bat that the Reform Party did not invent what they refer to as final offer selection. They should not stand up here and try to lecture the government that they told us we should do that. Final offer selection is a process that has been around for some time. It allows for issues that are clear and definable to be put on the table by either side in a labour negotiation.
The difficulty with these negotiations is there are many issues that simply do not line up in a black and white manner. If we are simply talking about wage demands, then the labour union puts their contract offer on the table, the company puts theirs and the arbitrator selects one or the other. There is no in-between.
That is not the case when we are talking about defining postal routes, about defining methods of delivering the actual mail. Those are issues that require much more sophisticated negotiations.
I would agree, however, that final contract arbitration in matters that are clear and simple is an effective tool. It would require both parties to come to the table with their best, most reasonable offer which could often result in a settlement.
That is not the case here. In fact, Madam Speaker, ask yourself why are we here. Why are we seeing such a rise in the militancy of the labour movement? I would suggest that it is precisely because of the right wing agenda being promoted in this country by parties like the Reform Party or the Conservative Party, in particular in the province of Ontario.