Mr. Speaker, my apologies for pointing out that the member had left the Chamber when he called quorum.
The task force recommended that because of the nature of the federal jurisdiction and the prevalence of industries providing services to the public it is important that every effort be made and be seen to be made to find an avenue for settlement before the parties decide to resort to economic sanctions to further their bargaining objectives.
For this reason, the Minister of Labour requires the parties to take part in conciliation proceedings. Conciliation has proven successful in assisting the parties to arrive at settlements in the vast majority of cases and should remain an option for the Minister of Labour.
Elsewhere in the bill, of course, the conciliation process is being streamlined and modernized. I have already mentioned the two stages being compressed into one stage. The process is also being limited in duration unless the parties jointly agree to extend it. This should please the presenter of this motion.
Perhaps just as important is the new profile being given to the federal mediation and conciliation service. The service is well respected and the important role of the head of the FMCS in advising the Minister of Labour on dispute resolution will be formally recognized in the code.
Similarly, the service will gain statutory recognition for its work in fostering harmonious relations between labour and management. This will provide the platform from which to launch relationship building programs.
In all, Bill C-19 recognizes the value of conciliation and lays the foundation for its continuing development.