Mr. Speaker, as I have said, this strike of the opposing Canadian National Railway and the UTU, the union, is having a major impact on our economy. We have problems in the port of Vancouver. We have problems on the Prairies. We also have problems in Quebec, Ontario and the Maritimes. The whole economy of the country is almost paralyzed because of this strike.
This strike affects not only one enterprise. The Canadian National Railway is all over the country. When the stock is not getting to the employer's enterprise, immediately it cannot produce, and immediately the employer will decide that it will shut down the company for days or for weeks, and we do not know for how long.
That is why we cannot let the situation go on like it is now. We have to act. We have been waiting. We thought that maybe they would find an agreement, but when we realize this is not possible we cannot wait weeks and months. We have to act. It is our responsibility as parliamentarians. It is for this reason that people have elected us.
I repeat that what I would like to see is an agreement between both parties. That would be best for everyone. But when we realize that it has been so long and there is no solution before us to get an agreement, we have to act. It is for this reason that we have tabled this today. There are 2,800 employees involved in this strike and we hope that before the bill is tabled they can find an agreement.