Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise to speak to the motion introduced by the hon. member for Winnipeg Centre.
The government shares the hon. member's concern for our nation's workers. We recognize that many Canadians face significant challenges as they try to balance work and family responsibilities in a busy world. More flexible hours of work are one way of dealing with the challenges.
The Minister of Labour has often spoken of the need to encourage a better balance between work and family responsibilities in Canada. She is committed to working closely with her colleagues in government and the private sector toward that end. An example of this was the last meeting of federal, provincial and territorial ministers of labour in Halifax where all the ministers agreed to work co-operatively on work-life balance issues in Canada.
The hon. member's proposal to reduce hours of work is a timely one, especially in the context of growing interest in work-life balance issues throughout the country. However while the minister and the government share the concern of the member opposite and welcome his positive interest in this important area of labour policy, we do not agree that Motion No. 34 is the right way to proceed at the present time.
The motion calls on the federal government to encourage the adoption of a shorter work week in the public sector, the private sector and federally regulated industries. The motion appears to be simple but its implementation would be anything but. For example, there is the complex issue of shared labour law jurisdiction in Canada. As members of the House know, responsibility for labour matters in our country is shared. The federal, provincial and territorial governments are responsible for labour legislation and workplace standards within their own jurisdictions.
At the federal level the kinds of changes called for by the motion would require amendments to Part III of the Canada Labour Code. At other levels of government other legislative changes would be required. Thus a shorter work week for Canadians is not something the Government of Canada can unilaterally decide upon by amending the Canada Labour Code.
As in so many areas of federal-provincial jurisdiction we deal with in the House, the broad adoption of a shorter work week throughout the public and private sectors in Canada would require action well beyond the authority of the federal government under the existing Canada Labour Code.
Moreover, there is the practical matter of the application of federal labour legislation. We need to remember that the Canada Labour Code covers about 10% of the nation's workforce. It applies only to industries and workplaces subject to federal authority such as the transportation, telecommunications and broadcasting industries.
Part III of the code does not apply to public sector workplaces either federally, provincially or municipally. It does not apply to private sector workplaces outside federal jurisdiction. Thus even if the federal government were to act within its own jurisdiction, as a practical reality it would only cover about 10% of the nation's workforce. The obvious question is how effective it would be if the federal government were to go it alone with a shorter work week for federally regulated industries.
Another key question we must ask is what the economic consequences would be. Aside from the constitutional issue of federal-provincial-territorial jurisdiction the Government of Canada must also consider the national economic consequences of introducing a shorter work week, especially in federally regulated industries whose operations impact the rest of the national economy.
While it is true that the Canada Labour Code applies only to about 10% of Canadian workers, many of those workers are in sectors whose operations are vital to the success of the remainder of the economy, and the transportation sector is a good example.
Because federally regulated industries tend to be those with significant national and international business activities, it is important that the broad economic implications of a shorter workweek in the federal jurisdiction be studied in terms of its impact in other sectors as well. For example, we know there are sectors of the Canadian economy that are experiencing worker shortages now. What would be the impact of reduced workweeks on those sectors?
These are just some of the questions the motion raises. It appears to be a simple motion but the issues it carries are quite complex.
The government recognizes there are many strong advocates of a shorter workweek and that there are good arguments in favour of reducing the existing standards regarding hours of work. An obvious one is that it would enable more employees to spend more time with their families. However we need to know more about the costs as well as the benefits, and that requires further study.
That is why we believe that any changes to hours of work under the Canada Labour Code should not be made through a motion such as this one. However it is an issue that may more appropriately be discussed in the context of a future review of part III of the code.
Thus, we will not support the motion at this time. Nevertheless, we are pleased the member has raised this very important topic for further study and discussion.