Marcel Massé

[Division No. 345, March 16th, 1999]

moved:

That the Supplementary Estimates (C) for the fiscal year ending March 31, 1999, except any vote disposed of earlier today, be concurred in.

[Division No. 344, March 16th, 1999]

moved:

Motion No. 3

That Vote 1c, in the amount of $2,740,846, under PRIVY COUNCIL—Program Expenditures, in the Supplementary Estimates (C) for the fiscal year ending March 31, 1999, be concurred in.

[Division No. 343, March 16th, 1999]

moved:

Motion No. 2

That Vote 1c, in the amount of $12,551,750, under JUSTICE—Program Expenditures, in the Supplementary Estimates (C) for the fiscal year ending March 31, 1999, be concurred in.

[Supplementary Estimates (C), 1998-1999, March 16th, 1999]

moved:

Motion No. 1

That Vote 1c, in the amount of $1,975,500, under PARLIAMENT—Program Expenditures, in the Supplementary Estimates (C) for the fiscal year ending March 31, 1999, be concurred in.

[Grain, March 16th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, I agree that damage is being caused to the economy and to the farmers by the tactics that are being used by the blue collar workers. We have negotiated with them. We have offered them whatever we could.

Unfortunately, the union has the right to strike and it is using that right. We are at present considering all the possible options open to us to get them back to work.

[Canadian Public Service, March 16th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, there are two main reasons. The first is that the government guarantees the benefits of employees past and present. The second is that the government absorbs all the pension fund deficits and takes all the risks.

The retirees association is itself in agreement that, legally the surpluses belong to the government, and I quote their website:

The association does not believe that it has any legal grounds to pursue a court case. A legal decision would not be in favour of the association since the legal advice provided to the association by independent experts in the pension field has been that the employer can decide on the disposition of the surplus.

[Grain, March 16th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, this is more a problem of the picket lines that have been established by the blue collar workers. We are monitoring the effects of their strikes. We want the movement of grain to be unimpeded because it is in the interest of our farmers in the west.

At present we are taking all the possible measures. We will look at all the options in front of us to settle these strikes.

[Grain, March 16th, 1999]

Once again, Mr. Speaker, we have tried to the last moment to make concessions that would make the strikers go back to work. Unfortunately they are asking for unreasonable demands at present. We are considering all possible options.

[Grain, March 16th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, we have negotiated with the blue collar union. We have made it offers that we judge to be extremely generous. We have in fact offered it more than we have offered to 80% of public servants.

I am sorry the union considers at present that it has to carry out these acts. I hope it will come back to the negotiation table, see the light, become reasonable and agree to a settlement.

[Industry, March 15th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, once again the principle underlying cost recovery is quite clear. It has to be equitable to all Canadians in the fact that it is the people who get the benefit who must pay for it. We have had discussions with all parts of Canadian industry. We have listened to what they had to say. Nobody likes to pay more money except that most of them accepted in the end that this was a fair way to deal with their problems. We have dealt with them and we now have a better system.