44th Parl. 1st Sess.
March 21, 2022 11:00AM
- Mar/21/22 2:20:54 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, negotiations always come with their challenges, but it is important to know how to overcome these challenges to come to an agreement.
CP and the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference are still negotiating. The parties are working hard and no one has left the table. They are well aware of what is at stake here.
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- Mar/21/22 2:22:14 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it sounds to me like they are washing their hands of the whole thing. I really do not understand the Minister of Labour's response. While we are here talking, Canadians are paying a hefty price.
Inflation is at an all-time high, houses are no longer affordable, and grocery bills are forcing families to make tough choices. The CP Rail dispute will exacerbate the situation.
We would like to suggest a way for the government to make things a little bit more bearable for Canadians right away. Will the Prime Minister waive the GST on gas and diesel immediately?
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- Mar/21/22 2:23:23 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, when I previously asked the Minister of Transport what he was doing to prevent a CP Rail strike, he said, “Let me assure my colleague we are monitoring the situation. I have met the CEO. I have met with the Teamsters. It is really important that we maintain the fluidity of our supply chain.”
The strike is on and damage is already happening. The agriculture sector is already seeing it, the automotive sector has said it cannot endure another hit and the Chamber of Commerce is calling for back-to-work legislation on behalf of small businesses.
What is the government’s plan to immediately resolve this dispute?
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- Mar/21/22 2:46:11 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Canadians want to see improved passenger rail but many were shocked to hear that the Liberals want to privatize service between Toronto and Quebec City. If the Liberals hand over their new rail project to a private corporation, it is ordinary passengers who will pay while wealthy investors profit. Ottawa's disastrous experience with LRT shows the risk of handing transit over to private companies.
Will the minister guarantee that passenger rail on the Quebec-Windsor corridor will remain publicly operated?
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- Mar/21/22 2:46:48 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for giving me the opportunity to stand here today and talk about the great news that I helped announce just last week.
Our government is committed to moving forward with the investment in the high-frequency rail along the busiest corridor in Canada, where 95% of Via passengers use the train to commute between Quebec, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto and stops in between. This is great news for Via Rail. This is great news for Canadian travellers, and this is great news for public transportation.
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- Mar/21/22 2:56:29 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the minister obviously did not understand my question.
Unfortunately, there is a definite pattern to how this government handles crises. More often than not, it is content to watch them unfold, to be a mere bystander and to allow them to degenerate.
The minister can break free of that pattern right here and now. He said that he will stay in Calgary until the two parties reach a deal. That is the right attitude.
Will he go the distance and personally intervene to bring about a negotiated resolution for CP Rail?
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- Mar/21/22 3:09:08 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I do not think the minister answered my colleague's question earlier, so I would like to try it again.
Following decades of underinvestment in Via Rail, last week the federal government began to solicit the private sector to not only co-develop, but operate and maintain high-frequency rail in the Quebec City-Windsor corridor. We know that privatization is short-sighted. We know it puts public money toward corporate profits and jeopardizes good jobs.
Will the Minister of Transport reconsider and assure the House that Via Rail is not on the verge of being privatized?
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- Mar/21/22 3:33:43 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is an honour today to rise and present a petition on behalf of over 850 residents of Saskatchewan.
Last week, Saskatchewan's Premier Moe started a petition asking the federal government to classify rail workers as an essential service in light of what was a looming CP Rail strike at the time. This disruption will have a catastrophic effect on the supply chain in Saskatchewan, affecting many sectors such as agriculture, mining and forestry. The petition asks the federal government to start working on back-to-work legislation and begin working on legislation to make rail service an essential service, which would preclude any future disruptions.
The rail sector is a vital service not only for Saskatchewan's economy, but for Canada's economy.
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- Mar/21/22 3:42:47 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 52, I am seeking leave to adjourn the House for the purpose of discussing an important and urgent matter.
On Saturday, March 19, the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference commenced a strike in advance of a lockout by CP Rail. This is having immediate and serious consequences in our country. Those in the agricultural sector, in advance, had people not sending them feed for their animals because they did not want the feed to get stuck in railcars and go bad. At the same time, planting season is upon us, and the fertilizer that is needed is not going to get there.
The automotive sector has been suffering. Two years of lockdowns in the pandemic have been compounded by border disruptions that shut down its production, and it has not recovered. These are not normal times. It simply cannot take another hit.
The Chamber of Commerce has called on the House to bring forward back-to-work legislation. This is an urgent issue requiring immediate attention from the House. I am requesting an emergency debate tonight.
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- Mar/21/22 5:52:44 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, let me be clear that the NDP is a party that clearly stands in support of workers' rights to bargain collectively. We do not support legislating workers back to work. We are very much in solidarity with rail workers, including CP workers right now. It is shameful to see governments, both Liberal and Conservative, that claim to stand up for working people abuse the fundamental right of workers to bargain collectively and legislate them back to work, and we certainly will be fighting any attempts to do so.
More broadly, it is clear that what we need from government is to rein in corporate Canada, including the big grocery stores that have made incredible profits throughout this pandemic. We know they have not supported their workers in the most fundamental ways, including health and safety. We know that certainly their profits have not been reflected in lower prices for consumers, and really, we need to see the Liberals stop favouring their friends in corporate Canada and stand up for Canadian workers and consumers.
We certainly believe the government has the power to do that. We are still waiting.
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