moved for leave to introduce Bill C-466, An Act to amend the National Defence Act (definition of “employer”) and to make a consequential amendment to another Act.
Mr. Speaker, we have a rather ridiculous situation right now where members serving in the Canadian reserves do not have a guarantee of job protection when they serve on a mission for Canada. My bill aims to rectify that.
When reservists serve on a Canadian mission, they should have a guarantee that their job will be protected and be there for them when they return to Canada.
Currently, three provinces have elected legislation, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia, to protect jobs that are covered under provincial jurisdiction. My bill would change the federal legislation so that people who work in jobs under federal legislation would be covered.
Actually, the House proposed some changes in 1998 but, under successive Liberal and Conservative governments, those changes have never been implemented.
I push the government to ensure that our reservists who serve Canada have a guarantee that their jobs will be protected when they come back to this country.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)