Mr. Speaker, I did speak to a lot of people in the department, people across Canada and small businesses. I have some questions that they brought to my attention and the answers we were able to give them.
One of the questions I received from employees within the department was when would the two year employment guarantee begin. It will begin the day the agency becomes a separate employer and employees are transferred. In all likelihood this will be a few months after the passage of Bill C-43. Time is going to be needed to establish the board of management. All employees will be informed in writing with regard to the effective date of the transfer.
Another question that was asked was would employees be able to transfer to a government department after the two year guarantee. The simple answer is yes. Agency employees will most definitely be able to transfer with the same mobility rights that Revenue Canada employees currently possess.
We have also been asked by employees what employee benefits carry over to the agency. The job offer that employees will receive on the transition to agency includes the carryover of the salary, core benefits such as health and disability insurance and dental plan, accumulated sick leave and vacation credits, and pension benefits under the Public Service Superannuation Act. Years of services which are used for calculating leave entitlement and severance pay will also carry over.
A question that I was asked just last week is what unions will represent employees under the agency. On the given day that the agency is created and becomes a separate employer, currently existing collective agreements will remain in effect until they are renegotiated. Employees will continue to be represented by the same unions for a transitional period of 120 days or until the Public Service Staff Relations Board makes a ruling on the agency bargaining unit structure. After that time there will be unified certification processes.