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Crucial Fact

  • Her favourite word was vote.

Last in Parliament September 2008, as Liberal MP for Westmount—Ville-Marie (Québec)

Won her last election, in 2006, with 46% of the vote.

Statements in the House

Labour March 15th, 1995

Mr. Speaker, I can understand my hon. colleague's concerns about strikes in British Columbia ports. Today, however, we have a major crisis with grave economic consequences. The government will act as soon as it has the co-operation of the various parties in this House.

Labour March 15th, 1995

Mr. Speaker, in fact the situation has worsened in British Columbia ports. As of midnight last night, there was a complete work stoppage, as hon. members are aware. Yes, since midnight yesterday, the transportation of grain and perishable goods has been halted. In the face of the enormous economic consequences of this problem, the government has decided to act and implement back to work legislation.

We are currently negotiating with the various parties to ensure this legislation is adopted as quickly as possible. I hope that we will obtain everyone's agreement.

Labour March 14th, 1995

Mr. Speaker, as usual, the hon. member is going a bit too fast. At this stage, legislation is out of the question, so I will not answer hypothetical questions.

Labour March 14th, 1995

Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the Reform member to remain calm and to refrain from spreading panic among the parties concerned. As we speak, grain is moving in the west, in Vancouver this very day.

We should keep in contact with the parties and keep in mind that it is always better to negotiate an agreement than to envision legislating these people back to work.

Labour March 14th, 1995

Mr. Speaker, we must look at each work situation from a different perspective and not lump airports, harbours and railways all together. They are different companies and labour relations vary from one to the other.

We are keeping abreast of these situations. As you know, Mr. Speaker, regarding railways, even CP was able to reach an agreement in principle with some workers. The situation which is of most concern to me now is that of the port of Vancouver, which we are following on an hourly basis, and I hope that the parties will go back to the negotiating table.

Labour March 13th, 1995

Mr. Speaker, we abide by the Canada Labour Code, and we are urging the parties to negotiate and reach an agreement, which does not mean we are not monitoring the situation very closely. We hope that the parties will negotiate and reach an agreement. That is the position of this government.

Labour March 13th, 1995

Mr. Speaker, yes, the railway sector is experiencing some difficulties with labour relations. But I was delighted to learn that Canadian Pacific has reached an agreement in principle with three of its unions, which represent nearly 3,000 employees, on a wage increase, a change respecting job security and social benefits. This agreement is to be submitted to the members for ratification.

I hope that for management and labour, this will be a first step towards reaching an agreement. At this stage it is definitely premature to talk about back-to-work legislation.

Railways February 24th, 1995

Mr. Speaker, it is clearly too early to talk about any legislation. This is a matter for the parties involved, who are best able to settle their differences together.

Railways February 24th, 1995

Mr. Speaker, after the conciliation officer tabled his report, I understood from what the parties said that they were prepared to resume negotiations. I think that the hon. member from the Reform Party should realize that the best thing would be for both sides to agree to negotiate a settlement between themselves. Together, the parties are quite capable of resolving their problems. So, let us not talk about a catastrophe before it occurs.

The parties are presently in a very good position to sit together and figure out the best way of settling their differences. I urge both sides to go back to the negotiation table and find this solution and I hope that they will do so.

Labour Relations February 24th, 1995

Mr. Speaker, let us be realistic and not ask that the issue be settled in the next few days. As the hon. member said, this is a complex situation which has an impact on the Canada Labour Code. The situation at Ogilvie Mills affects workers, but such problems exist everywhere in Canada. We have to look at the impact on businesses and employers. It is indeed a complex situation and, as with any complex issue, we must take the necessary time to find a good solution to the problem.