Mr. Speaker, Bill C-78 is about a basic principle: Who owns pension funds? Most Canadians agree that pensions are delayed earnings and belong to the workers. At one point the Liberals believed this too.
In 1986 a Liberal member spoke on pension legislation and said:
Those pension funds should be solely directed toward the payment of pension benefits to retiring and outgoing workers.
Last night that member, the Minister of Canadian Heritage, proved how much value we can place on the words of a Liberal in opposition. She could have voted to protect the rights of members of the armed forces, public employees, RCMP members and their families. Instead, she voted for legislation to take away their pension surplus and turn it into a personal account for the Minister of Finance.
The Minister of Canadian Heritage got it right in 1986. Pension funds and any surplus belong to the workers. The federal government should set an example for other employers. Instead, the government is ramming through legislation that tramples the principle for which people have fought for decades.