Mr. Speaker, I congratulate the member for Lakeland on his presentation.
We in the PC Party have a lot of concerns, but this part of the legislation has not been visited in 25 years. I believe we are very close, but I think with more consultation we can all come forward with good solutions.
I have two questions for the member. We have concerns about replacement workers, as does the hon. member, and about off site workers and certification not requiring the majority of votes of employees. As was mentioned last week in the presentation on their behalf and on behalf of the other parties in the opposition there were some problems in this regard.
I have a question on work stoppage at ports. We support the section that would prevent labour disputes, other than those between employees, stopping the flow of grain at the ports. Would the hon. member see this section going a little further and make it apply to elevators in western Canada and in Ontario? Potato farmers and the pulp and paper industry could be affected as well.
Another section in the bill, section 7 dealing with the power of the CIRB to determine seniority, affects pilots. The board has the power to determine the question of seniority. This is troublesome for airline pilots as seniority determines their progression and promotion in ways that are drastically different from others industries.
To give the board the power to change the practices that are used worldwide in the aviation industry could cause undue problems. I would like to know the member's comments on this section.