Mr. Speaker, I would first like to inform the government that all the members of this House share its concerns for the economy. However, I believe that the fundamental question here is whether the government believes that, in Canada, by definition, workers' rights are a hindrance to the economy. The way the government is intervening immediately and being so heavy-handed from the outset, when Air Canada itself says there has not been enough disruption to flights to cause its clients any concern, is a way of telling the unions in Canada that the government will always side with the employer before the bargaining process can even run its course.
My party is not against government intervention when we see that essential services might be affected, that Canadians might suffer from the situation and that the economy might be affected. However, we believe the role of the government, as much as possible, is to encourage the partners to find a negotiated solution and not to intervene from the very start as it is doing right now.
We believe that with the two strikes going on right now at Canada Post and at Air Canada, the government wants to send a message to all salaried employees in—