Elizabeth May (Saanich—Gulf Islands)
2021-04-28 21:28 [p.6341]
Madam Speaker, the hon. minister knows the great respect I hold in my heart for her, but I cannot agree with this at all.
How long did our Parliamentary Protective Service workers, shuttle bus drivers and House of Commons workers go without a contract? The negotiations were protracted. Our Protective Service workers, the people who protected us when the House of Commons was under assault, went four years without a contract. Their protest was in violating their uniform requirements, and we all remember seeing them wear those badges.
Sometimes it is protracted, sometimes it is difficult, but the employer provoked this situation by changing fundamental parts of the collective agreement. Is there not some way to force the employer to do the right thing, instead of punishing the workers?
Hon. Filomena Tassi (Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas)
2021-04-28 21:29 [p.6341]
Madam Speaker, I have great respect and admiration for the member.
We are not taking sides in this. We are not saying we are supporting one side or the other. We are encouraging both sides to come to an agreement.
What makes this situation different is the economic harm, as well as the health and safety of Canadians. We know that a full work stoppage is going to have an impact that we cannot be responsible for, which is what mandates us to take action. This is on top of having a year of fighting a pandemic, where supply chains are already compromised.
We cannot stop the flow of goods. We must act for the safety of Canadians.