Canada Labour Code  Madam Speaker, I can tell the member that this side of the House agrees and understands that the Canada pension plan needs some serious change and work. The Minister of Finance, we are quite convinced, is working with his colleagues for one simple reason: to try to make those changes.

Canada Labour Code  Madam Speaker, it is a pleasure for me to stand here in my place to speak to Bill C-4. Before I do that, I just want to say that I will be splitting my time with the member for Davenport. I want to start off by talking a little about my background, because I think it is important for the members to know that I am one of those union bosses the members opposite are talking about.

Canada Labour Code  Madam Speaker, I want to ask the member if she would comment on the historical way that Parliament has, over generations, dealt with labour legislation. Those of us who have been around the labour movement for many years know that in the federal jurisdiction, here in this place, governments, both Conservative and Liberal, have always had a tripartite working group process that allowed the labour department to sit down with organized labour, all of the different unions and all of the different employers in the federal family, to look at the Canada Labour Code.

Canada Labour Code  Madam Speaker, that was a very good speech because it talked a lot about labour, organized labour, the importance of organized labour in our society, and the role of organized labour in the balance of rights of workers and, of course, the rights of employers to make a good living and those workers, those blue-collar workers, to make a good living.

Canada Labour Code  Madam Speaker, I appreciate the member's comments, even though, to some extent, I cannot understand what he is trying to accomplish. I will ask a simple question. If there are problems with labour and employee relations, could he explain to the House exactly what they are? Before these bills were presented, I did not see any major issues in the relationship between unions and employers in this country, so I wonder what the motivation would be for the previous government to present the bills that it did.

Canada Labour Code  Madam Speaker, I want to thank the minister for bringing this legislation to the House. I just have a simple question based on historical fact. Over the number of years I have been in the House, and even before, labour relations has always been done through a tripartite process, and the tripartite process includes labour and employers, who talk together about changes to the labour code.

Resumption of debate on Address in Reply  Madam Speaker, the questions from the opposition are always whether we going to meet the commitments we made during the campaign. It is obvious that if we did not, eventually we would be defeated and would go and sit on the other side. I could say for the sake of argument that when we were in government the last time, we put a 2% cap on the amount of first nation budgets on a yearly basis.

Resumption of debate on Address in Reply  Madam Speaker, I come from a region that is still waiting for the Trans-Canada Highway to be twinned, so I hope that part of our strategy is to start twinning the highway in northern Ontario so we can have a twinned highway, like most other Canadians from coast to coast to coast.

Resumption of debate on Address in Reply  Madam Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member from Vaudreuil—Soulanges. I am grateful for this opportunity, as this is my first speech in the House in 12 years. I was the member of Parliament for Kenora—Rainy River from 1988 to 2004, so for some 16-plus years I had the great privilege of sitting in the House on both sides, through the first term of my mandate as the member of Parliament when Brian Mulroney was in power and then of course under the Chrétien government.

The Patent Act  Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I would like to put the question based on unanimous consent that Bill C-57, an act to give effect to the Westbank First Nation self-government agreement, be deemed to have been read a second time, referred to and reported from a committee, without amendment, concurred in at report stage and read a third time and passed.

Patent Act  Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I think you would find unanimous consent that Bill C-57, an act to give effect to the Westbank first nation self-government agreement, be deemed to have been read a second time, referred to and reported from a committee without amendment, concurred in at report stage, and read a third time and passed.

Aboriginal Affairs  Mr. Speaker, first of all, there is no court case. Second, we are meeting on a regular basis with the Deh Cho. We have been at the table for a number of years and we continue to negotiate with that group. The pipeline and the process in the cooperation agreement are not at risk.

Indian Specific Claims Commission  Mr. Speaker, under the provisions of Standing Order 32(2), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, copies of the 2002-03 annual report of the Indian Specific Claims Commission.

Yukon Comprehensive Land Claims Agreement  Mr. Speaker, I also have the honour of tabling copies of the 2000-01 annual report on the implementation of the Yukon Comprehensive Land Claims Agreement.

Westbank First Nation Self-Government Act  moved for leave to introduce Bill C-57, an act to give effect to the Westbank First Nation Self-Government Agreement. (Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)