They will not come out of mine valley and work in Silicon Valley. This is the essence of what my colleagues in the House have been trying to convey to the government and to members of other parties.
We are striving to make sure that these workers, these employees and their families are treated as humanely and fairly as they possibly can be. It is important not to lose sight of that aspect of it. That is why we are holding up this bill. That is why we are fighting for these changes. We think that what has been offered so far falls short of what is fair and just to these folks. They have been dealt a very bitter blow.
There has been an absolute lack of public hearings. I know the Minister of Natural Resources was there, but all attempts to have meetings in Cape Breton to debate and discuss this issue have been brushed aside in a classic father knows best approach that they do not need to hear from the local people, that those in the Department of Natural Resources have all the answers and do not have to bother with hearing from the folks who are most closely affected.
The people of Cape Breton deserve a lot more than what they have been offered by the government in this bill. Again that is why we are so supportive of the important motions of the member for Bras d'Or—Cape Breton and the member for Sydney—Victoria.
We are talking about the issue of the representation. We want to ensure that the proper associations are represented so that they can sit down with management and discuss the issues that can help the employees and their families to reach a proper, just and fair settlement.
This will be the last time I will have an opportunity to speak to the three groups of report stage motions. We discussed some of them at some length on Friday and adjourned the debate at 1.30 p.m. We have been dealing today with Groups Nos. 2 and 3.
Good mine safety is obviously an important issue. These motions would reinstate the requirement for the corporation and the federal and provincial governments to take all necessary steps to reduce the negative impact of the privatization or secession of activities by Devco and would reinstate the requirement for the corporation to take all necessary steps to reduce the negative impact of the privatization or secession of activities by Devco.
I will pleased to participate in the third reading of this bill.