Mr. Speaker, it being May Day, a day dedicated to workers, the Bloc Quebecois is asking the federal government to grant pregnant or nursing women under federal jurisdiction the same rights granted to women in Quebec. We have been talking about this for ten years now. The time has come to take action.
The government should also take advantage of today to announce that it will stop treating a woman who has a child as a woman who has lost her job, and to finally contribute to Quebec's parental leave program.
I also urge the government to admit that it is mistaken in refusing to eliminate the provisions of a collective agreement that discriminates against new members of the workforce and by continuing to tolerate scabs.
I remind the government that employment equity must be seen as something from which everyone benefits, and that we cannot afford to avoid it.
I salute the workers who are shaping our society. Our thoughts are also with those who have been deprived of this basic right. They deserve better than this federal government's inaction.