Madam Speaker, I rise to speak to Bill C-12, a bill to amend part II of the Canada Labour Code. There are three parts to the Canada Labour Code and this bill deals only with part II. This part is the only part of the bill that covers the federal public service. Interestingly enough, House of Commons employees are not covered as are other members of the federal public service. That is something that has caused some concern and some comment.
Part II of the Canada Labour Code has not been significantly updated for 15 years. Even this update has a rather chequered past. It was first introduced just a few days before the last election writ was dropped, and of course died on the order paper when the House prorogued for the election.
It took the government another two years after the last election to reintroduce these changes to the Canada Labour Code, which has not been updated for 15 years. There seems to be a little foot-dragging on the part of the government in dealing with this issue.
One of the positive things about this bill is that there have been lengthy consultations between both employer groups and employee associations. The groups have reached a consensus on the kinds of changes they want to see in part II of the Canada Labour Code. They would like to see these changes brought in before the next election, which the Prime Minister is threatening to call very soon. Therefore, we are hopeful that these changes will pass through the process before the next election so that the next government will not have to start all over again.
The Canadian Alliance supports the amendments in Bill C-12. Amendments to the bill were brought forward by the standing committee. One of the concerns that has not been resolved between government and the stakeholders is the matter of the appeals process. The stakeholders, management groups and employee groups, agreed that there should be a two stage appeal process. Currently, if a safety officer issues a directive, then that directive can be appealed to a regional safety officer and, if there is concern about the decision in that appeal, a further review by the Canada Industrial Relations Board is possible.
Bill C-12 would change the regional safety officer to an appeals officer. This person would be appointed by the minister and would be given quasi-judicial powers. A decision rendered by an appeals officer would be final.
There is real concern that the one stage quasi-judicial process would not be sufficient to protect the rights and the democratic protections that workers should have. There is a proposal that recourse should be given from a ruling by an appeals officer to the Public Service Staff Relations Board.
We would support such an amendment. We believe, in fairness, that there should be a two stage appeal process. It is interesting that in almost all of its operations the government supports multi-levels of appeal, particularly, for example, in the immigration department. In fact there have been criticisms that there are too many stages of appeal in some government departments. However, in this case the government seems to be wanting to limit the ability of employers and employees to make sure there is a very clear and well considered final result.
The Canadian Alliance agrees with the whole philosophy behind Bill C-12; that is, that health and safety in the workplace is the responsibility of every person at the work site. This is an important issue to be addressed. It is important issue to have updated regulations. Between 30 and 40 workers in federally regulated workplaces die every year on the job, and another 60,000 suffer occupational injuries or illness.
This is a very important matter of concern for Canadians. Occupational injuries and illness not only cost the people and families involved, as well as the employers, they also cost the Canadian economy almost $5 billion a year. Most of us would agree that an extra $5 billion of productivity could be very well spent on things like health care, education and other services for Canadians.
It is clear that government legislation and regulations alone cannot promote a healthy workplace or prevent accidents. In any workplace, if accidents are to be prevented, everyone must be involved.
I refer the House to a report released in November, which was prepared by the British Columbia Workers' Compensation Board. British Columbia has very stringent health and safety laws. Unfortunately, the November report showed that these stringent laws were doing little to curb workplace fatalities. It is very clear that a bill such as Bill C-12, which involves everyone, both employers and employees, in making sure that our workplaces in Canada are safe and secure to protect the well-being of workers, is very important.
I urge the House to support Bill C-12. I urge the House to support the appeal proposal and I urge the government to ensure that the bill is passed and receives royal assent before the next election.