Mr. Speaker, I think that the member should know that, within the Department of Labour, our primary responsibility is to help the parties during collective bargaining.
This collective agreement was ending last December 31 and our conciliators were already at work. They kept working throughout January. At the end of January, when the conciliation period had ended, we immediately sent mediators to help the parties to ensure that they could come to an agreement.
Of course, in this country, there is the right to go on strike. The union used its right to go on strike. This is what it did on February 10. The parties could not come to an agreement, despite mediation. The Canada Industrial Relations Board has to be respected as well. The parties have the right to consult the Canada Industrial Relations Board as to whether a strike is legal or illegal. We have respected this mechanism. However, at some point, this cannot go on forever. Action must be taken before the consequences become catastrophic. It is in this context that, last Monday night, I called the parties to tell them that we would send our chief mediator to work with them.
Let me talk about our chief mediator, Elizabeth McPherson. She is the same person whom we had suggested during the recent strike between film actors and producers in Canada. There was a dispute between these various groups in each province. We made them an unsolicited offer of a mediation service to support the parties. It is this same person, Elizabeth McPherson, who helped the parties to reach an agreement that will be submitted soon. Once again, this was a major strike for the country. We thought that, with Jacques Lessard, the other mediator who is at the table, we would have two experienced people, two experts. Of course, the parties must be willing to cooperate.