Mr. Speaker, McDonald's recently announced the closure of its restaurant in Saint-Hubert, thus throwing sixty or so employees out of work.
The company claims the closure is justified by financial reasons. In reality, it is an obvious anti-union measure.
For a year now, McDonald's has been spending tens of thousands of dollars on lawyers and on public relations, using the biggest public relations firm in Canada, in order to trample the legitimate rights of some sixty young people who are working for minimum wage.
One of the young workers who lost his job for having tried to gain recognition of his rights summarized the situation very aptly “Just because we make hamburgers, that doesn't mean we don't deserve respect”. Basically, McDonald's scandalous anti-union attitude is sending a clear message to young people, giving them a choice between exploitation and unemployment.
McDonald's says “You deserve a break today”, but do its workers not also deserve a break?