I am extremely pleased to report to the House this evening that as of just a few hours ago and with much effort on the part of the government and union negotiators, we have reached a tentative agreement for striking blue collar workers.
I think this agreement in principle is fair and generous. I have always said that negotiation was our preferred solution, and I have the proof in my hand. Our determination to act in the interests of taxpayers, while respecting the interests of our employees, has borne fruit.
This last-minute agreement must not, however, sidetrack us from the reasons we are sitting at such a late hour. Canadians throughout the country have been the victims of rotating strikes by PSAC members for ten weeks now. Not only do the effects of these strikes concern the government but they were the subject of an emergency debate in the House last week.
This agreement in principle does not guarantee that the strikes will end. Union members can ratify or reject this agreement. That is the price to be paid for respecting the right to strike, a democratic right that is part of the collective bargaining process.
A responsible government cannot, however, wait for the decision of union members and we must therefore continue our efforts to ensure Canadians the return to the normal federal government services provided by blue collar workers and the maintenance of those services provided by correctional officers in Canadian penitentiaries.
In recent months, the Treasury Board Secretariat has signed numerous collective agreements with over 87% of its employees. The Government of Canada has shown on many occasions, including this evening, that it respects the collective bargaining process. This evening, the government is asking parliament to force its 14,000 blue collar workers to go back to work and to accept a collective agreement.
We are also asking parliament to adopt measures that might be necessary to ensure that the some 4,500 correctional officers remain at work and resume negotiating as soon as possible.
We want to avoid a strike and the absence of functional correctional services, which would pose a threat to the safety of inmates and Canadians.
The decision to request parliament's authorization to impose special legislation was not made impulsively. In fact, it is an agreement that will allow us to ensure the operation and maintenance of government buildings and of health services in federal institutions.
After 10 weeks, the impact of these walkouts on Canadians and on government operations is being felt.
Canadians as much as the government can no longer accept that passenger travel continues to be disrupted in the country's airports. We cannot accept either that tax and GST collections have become so much more difficult. This House should know that one million taxpayers will experience delays in their tax refunds because of these strikes.
Put simply, many low income families and many small businesses will have to wait for the refunds to which they are entitled and for which they have an urgent need.
This is not to mention the most vulnerable in our society who, every year, rely on the free services provided by Revenue Canada's tax clinics. The rotating strikes have prevented many Canadians from having access to these services.
The operations of national defence, the coast guard and public works have been considerably disrupted by picket lines and the withdrawal of services by these workers.
The strike also affects our grain exports, thus threatening an important sector of the Canadian economy, and also our international trade relations. In the port of Vancouver, dozens of ships are waiting to be loaded—