House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2011, with 71% of the vote.
The Economy November 28th, 2008
Mr. Speaker, yes, I was very pleased with the responsible attitude that the union took in terms of coming to a collective agreement with the employer.
I would point out, for the member's information, that in all cases unionized federal public sector employees will have collective agreements at set rates for the annual increases. With the collective agreements in place, there is no requirement for a dispute resolution mechanism such as strike or arbitration.
Status of Women November 28th, 2008
Mr. Speaker, is it not interesting that when it comes to their entitlements in respect of their political parties, those members want to ensure that their money is there right away. When it comes to women and pay equity, they are content to allow women to wait 10 or 15 years before they achieve pay equity.
We are putting a mechanism in place to ensure that both the employer and the union have a responsibility to address pay equity issues in a timely fashion.
Status of Women November 28th, 2008
Mr. Speaker, pay equity is not under negotiation. It is our intent to ensure that there is a mechanism to determine pay equity on a timely basis. Why should women have to wait 10 or 15 years in order to achieve what is, frankly, theirs?
The government in Ontario and the government in Manitoba, whether socialist or liberal governments, have put in place exactly the same type of format to ensure that women get their rights recognized in a timely fashion.
Rights of Workers November 28th, 2008
Mr. Speaker, it is very important that women are entitled to fair rates of compensation, which is why there is a pay equity scheme. The problem with the pay equity scheme is that it takes so long to actually put into place.
We are putting forward a proposal that would ensure that employers, like the federal government and the unions, are responsible for negotiating pay equity so there are fair rates and that legal obligations in that respect are met in the context of the collective agreement.
The Economy November 28th, 2008
Mr. Speaker, the irony coming from a member of a party that in the mid-1990s was responsible for laying off public servants and downloading costs on to the provinces, crippling health care, crippling our social programs. That is what the Liberals did to us when we were in charge of provincial governments. They had no problem doing that.
We are dealing with the public unions in a responsible manner instead of crippling social programs.
The Economy November 28th, 2008
Mr. Speaker, the collective agreements reflect a responsible approach to public sector compensation and it is critical during a time of economic uncertainty.
This prohibition will only apply the public sector employees who seek an increase in wages beyond what the government can responsibly provide; that is the 2.3%, 1.5%, 1.5% and 1.5%. This is what the unions have indicated they are prepared to live with.
That is a reasonable amount and we are pleased to see that agreement go into place.
The Economy November 28th, 2008
Mr. Speaker, women now represent over 55% of knowledged workers in the Public Service and over 40% of executive ranks.
We believe the issues of pay equity need to be addressed on a timely basis.
I note the Ontario Liberal government has brought in very similar legislation to ensure that not only the employer has a responsibility for pay equity, but that the unions work together with the employers to ensure women receive the appropriate amount of pay.
The Economy November 28th, 2008
In fact, Mr. Speaker, the federal government is proud to be leading the way when it comes to recruitment and compensation of female employees.
We believe it is not right that women have to wait for pay equity for 10 or 15 years. We will bring in a proposal that ensures they receive pay equity on a timely basis. I ask the member to support this.
Public Service November 25th, 2008
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to announce that we have reached a fair and reasonable agreement with more than 100,000 public service employees. Yesterday, we reached agreement with the Public Service Alliance of Canada and today I am pleased to announce that we also reached an agreement with the Canadian Association of Professional Employees for the translation group.
I thank our negotiators, as well as those of the Public Service Alliance of Canada and the Canadian Association of Professional Employees.
Supplementary Estimates (B), 2008-09 November 24th, 2008
Mr. Speaker, I have a copy of the supplementary estimates (B) and a copy of the vote allocation by the standing committee for the House.