House debate  Madam Speaker, our minister has received correspondence from companies that provide life-saving dialysis products. They are worried their goods are going to be unable to reach Canadian hospitals. We really appreciate the good faith of the union in offering to unload cargo that has medical supplies.

House debate  Madam Speaker, I have heard this question from a number of people in this debate. How does the law guarantee procedural fairness to both the union and the employer? I am going to mention four ways. First, it provides the parties with meaningful input into the selection of the mediator.

House debate  Mr. Speaker, as I finished yesterday, I was talking about the history of the Port of Montreal and the dispute that has led us to this legislation. The government made a strong and concerted effort to help both parties come to an agreement over two and a half years. We did this because we firmly believe that the best agreements are the ones reached at the bargaining table.

House debate  Mr. Speaker, the Port of Montreal is vital to the economies of both Canada and Quebec. It is the main point of entry for goods and materials that Canadians and businesses depend on, especially in Quebec and Ontario. A partial work stoppage began at the Port of Montreal on April 13.

House debate  Mr. Speaker, with respect to the labour dispute at the Port of Montreal, there is now a general strike. Is there any duration of a general strike at the port that the hon. member believes would require the government to intervene with back-to-work legislation? Hypothetically, let us say, for example, the strike lasted for a month.

House debate  Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for his always fair and nuanced position on how he approaches issues such as this. I wanted to mention something that he raised, which is the fact that a very significant percentage of work in the port relates to the Midwest of the United States.

Questions on the Order Paper  Mr. Speaker, with regard to part (a), a number of ESDC-Labour officials are working on the issue of forced labour. Those officials are part of the international and intergovernmental labour affairs, IILA, directorate. The team working on forced labour includes policy officers, policy analysts and managers, under the supervision of a director.

Canada Labour Code  Mr. Speaker, my colleague for Edmonton Riverbend has been absolutely exemplary in terms of this private member's bill. When people watch question period, they often get a very false sense of what politicians do, who we are and the way law-making works. This bill is a tremendous example of how people can cross party lines, work together and create a good piece of legislation.

International Mother Language Day  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to recognize International Mother Language Day, an annual observance led by the Bangladeshi diaspora in Canada and across the world, which is held on February 21. The day's goal is to promote respect for linguistic and cultural diversity, and it exists because of the fight for the respect of the Bengali language when Bangladesh formed one country with Pakistan.

Canada Labour Code  Mr. Speaker, it is a great pleasure to participate in today's debate on Bill C-220, an act to amend the Canada Labour Code for compassionate care leave. I want to thank the member for Edmonton Riverbend for putting this bill forward to allow caregivers to take additional days off when a loved one dies.

Women and Gender Equality  Mr. Speaker, I agree with the hon. member on pay equity. Pay equity is not just the right thing to do; it is the smart thing to do. That is why we passed proactive pay equity legislation in 2018. When Canadian women can count on equal pay for work of equal value, our economy grows stronger.

Christmas Greetings  Mr. Speaker, I have a slightly less partisan Christmas poem. 'Tis the last sitting week before Christmas For this virtual House Instead of coming to Ottawa MPs are home with their spouse. Using a new cloud platform Never leaving the room House meetings or committees It all happens on Zoom.

Status of the French Language in Montreal  Madam Chair, I value my friendship with the member, even though we do not agree. We do not have to be adversaries; we can disagree. I urge my colleague to go back and listen to the excellent speech by my colleague from Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie. He gave some real figures on the integration of immigrants.

Status of the French Language in Montreal  Madam Chair, I thank my colleague from Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie. It is always a pleasure to work with him. I think that all levels of government have a duty to legislate within their own jurisdictions to promote and protect the French language. That is what we will do with the modernization of the Official Languages Act.

Status of the French Language in Montreal  Madam Chair, first of all, yes, certain studies have shown that French is in decline in Montreal. There is no doubt about that. Second, I want to say what a pleasure it is to work with my colleague from Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis. We are both swimmers and we have a lot in common.