Industry committee  Do you mean across the country?

Industry committee  We represent workers at Bell Canada, which is the largest provider of telecommunications in the country. We represent the majority of telephone workers in Canada.

Industry committee  We saw a lot of job losses with the deregulation of the industry and the two-tier system throughout the nineties, so it's been devastating. We have a situation right now at Expertech where Bell Canada wants to see 25% concessions in wages and benefits in order to compete. This is what they're demanding of our members.

Industry committee  We don't see a rosy picture down the road. We see the loss of a lot of meaningful, good-working, long-term positions. Once upon a time you could will your job to your children in the telecommunications industry, and that's no longer the case. In the telecommunications industry, MTS is considered a small player.

Industry committee  Coming from the Manitoba Telephone System, we lived under a crown corporation and we were able to see first-hand what happened when we were privatized. As the witness before me said, they were able, because of their public policy, to offer good service, competitive service, throughout the province.

Industry committee  Our concern is to make sure that when competition comes in, it's not a race to the bottom and that we don't have workers being pitted.... And it's not suggested that they need to reduce their benefits or their working conditions in order to compete.

Industry committee  We are very concerned about the concentration of media ownership in Canada. We want the government to put in some regulations to prevent that concentration. As you know, the public out there, if they hear it on this station, pick up that newspaper, and hear it on that radio, they think they're hearing three different points of view, when in fact it's the same aspirations out there trying to get their point of view over.

Industry committee  I'll speak to the Americans buying it. On telecommunications, right now under the U.S. Homeland Security department and their laws, they are entitled to hand over all the telcos' records. In fact, although Verizon, BellSouth, and AT&T; weren't required to, they handed over a lot of records and were monetarily rewarded for that.

Industry committee  Yes, equally.

Industry committee  Yes.

Industry committee  As you know, the telephone industry used to be a very regulated industry, and it's now to the point where there's very little regulation in place, other than for foreign ownership. We, as workers, believe that the entire industry should have been regulated. That being said, we now appreciate that we will no longer have a two-tier system, so all the telephone companies should be able to compete on a level playing field.

Industry committee  First of all, I want to thank you for the invitation to appear before you today. I am Wendy Sol, a vice-president of the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada. We represent 150,000 members from coast to coast to coast. My roots in the telecommunications sector come from Manitoba Telecom Services.