Mr. Speaker, everyone is affected by the Canada Post labour dispute. However, the government is making a mistake by siding with the employer instead of supporting a lasting, negotiated settlement.
First, the government suspended workers' right to strike in December. Then, yesterday, the Minister of Jobs and Families announced that she will force employees to vote on Canada Post's unilateral proposal instead of going to arbitration. This repeated Liberal meddling has poisoned the collective bargaining atmosphere. Today, the Liberals are shutting down the dialogue by forcing a vote. It seems rather clear that the arbitrator has chosen the winner of the game.
The Liberals' role is to act as guarantors of law, fairness and genuine social dialogue. They need to explain their involvement, which is not conducive to a fair and lasting resolution of the dispute. More importantly, they need to back down.