44th Parl. 1st Sess.
June 5, 2024 02:00PM
- Jun/5/24 2:36:19 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, to me it is a bit surprising that even the Bloc Québécois does not want to talk about the economy. I know that the economy is the key issue for Quebeckers.
Today we have good news: the Bank of Canada has decided to lower the key interest rate. That is good for Quebec and good for all of Canada.
65 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Jun/5/24 2:47:57 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is finally going to meet with François Legault on Monday to talk about immigration. It is about time, after leaving Quebec to deal with a record influx of newcomers.
Monday should be the deadline for the federal government to stop offloading its responsibility. Quebec is calling for a temporary reduction in immigration and for French requirements in federal programs. Quebec is calling for an even distribution of asylum seekers. Quebec is calling for $1 billion for taking them in.
On Monday, will the Prime Minister agree to all these requests and finally sign the cheque?
103 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Jun/5/24 2:48:38 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, I know that the Bloc Québécois wants to fast-track asylum claims. However, the height of hypocrisy was when a Bloc member spoke during a meeting of the Standing Committee on Finance to oppose the government's proposed reforms for fast-tracking asylum claims.
I know that the Premier of Quebec thinks that the Bloc Québécois is useless. I do not share that opinion, but I am becoming less sure.
80 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Jun/5/24 2:49:10 p.m.
- Watch
I am speechless, Mr. Speaker.
If the federal government thinks that $1 billion is a lot, then all it had to do was take care of asylum seekers sooner, rather than sit back and watch the bill get bigger and bigger. The government could have also kept the bill lower by doing its job, especially when it comes to work permits.
According to Quebec, asylum seekers represent nearly 20% of social assistance recipients. It is not because they do not want to work. It is because Ottawa is not giving them permission. Minister Fréchette confirmed that asylum seekers are receiving benefits for an average of 10 to 11 months while they wait for a work permit from the federal government. Minister Fréchette said that.
When will Ottawa stop driving asylum seekers into poverty?
141 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Jun/5/24 3:03:02 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Auditor General confirmed what has been suspected for months. She tabled three reports, each with the same damning finding: The Liberals have completely lost control of the machinery of government. Contracts are being awarded without tenders and without justification, payments are being made to companies before anything is even delivered, funds are being paid out for ineligible projects, and money is being spent without oversight.
This brings us back to the question we have been asking for months. While the Liberals are busy trying to take over governing Quebec and the provinces, who is governing Canada?
100 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Jun/5/24 3:11:10 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, I have already answered that question several times.
A question that has not been answered, however, is why are the Conservatives not sharing today's good news about the interest rate being lowered for the first time in four years, a first among G7 countries?
That was possible not only because we have responsible management from a fiscal, economic and social standpoint, but also because Canada, in 2025, is going to have the strongest economic growth of all the G7 countries. We have made investments in dental care, in health care, in child care across Canada, and in particular in Quebec, as well as in housing, including in my own riding, Québec.
116 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Jun/5/24 3:13:49 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, members on the other side of the House clearly have a listening problem, because I have answered this question many times today.
I say it is a listening problem because, a few days ago, other members and I heard the Leader of the Opposition and chief insult-hurler tell Quebeckers in my region that the Canadian dental care plan does not exist. However, there are 9,000 seniors in my colleague's riding of Lévis—Lotbinière who are already enrolled in the plan. More than 60%, 62% to be precise, of dental care providers in Quebec are already enrolled.
106 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Jun/5/24 5:05:45 p.m.
- Watch
Madam Speaker, there have been discussions among the parties and, if you seek it, I believe you will find unanimous consent for the following motion:
That the House recall Quebec's rich history, punctuated by bold gestures to defend and ensure the vitality of its only official language, French;
That it unreservedly affirm that the strength of the Quebec nation certainly does not lie in bilingualism, but in its distinct character, with its unique culture and resolutely francophone specificity.
79 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Jun/5/24 7:13:45 p.m.
- Watch
Madam Speaker, I respect the articulation that the member across the way has put on what I see as a fairly positive piece of legislation. Given her background as a former labour minister at the Province of Quebec, I would be interested in getting her perspective. I would ask for her best guesstimate.
Harassment takes many different forms in the workplace, and I suspect that, even in the province of Quebec, it gets under-reported. If she were to guess, in terms of the Quebec legislation, what percentage of those who are actually being harassed does she believe actually present themselves? It does take a great deal of courage for someone to come forward and say, “I was offended, and this is the reason, and this is how it happened, in the form of harassment.”
Does she have any sense of what kind of reporting back there is, based on the legislation, or is there a need for additional public information or advertising on the issue?
168 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
Madam Speaker, first, I want to commend the sponsor of the bill, the member for Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis for introducing this private member's bill. I sit on the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities and I can tell my colleague that she can count on the support of the Bloc Québécois during the study of this bill in committee.
The sponsor of the bill referred to the time when she was the Quebec minister of labour in 2018. At the time, I still had the good fortune of being the labour leader at the Centrale des syndicats du Québec. Work was done in Quebec to advance labour laws, especially at the Conseil consultatif du travail et de la main‑d'œuvre. The sponsor of the bill would surely agree that it was in our DNA to advance labour law in Quebec.
The summary of the bill being studied today is simple. It seeks to amend “the Canada Labour Code in order to provide a former employee with more time to make a complaint relating to an occurrence of harassment and violence in the work place after they cease to be employed”. Currently, the employee has three months. The bill seeks to change the prescribed period to two years.
My colleague is absolutely right. Once again, Quebec has been at the forefront of labour legislation. Quebec amended its Act respecting labour standards. I, too, found it surprising that the Canada Labour Code refers to employees and former employees separately in the context of harassment and violence. Frankly, the Canada Labour Code has only recently begun to deal with these issues, unlike Quebec. I would venture to say that it is clear from looking at the Canada Labour Code that it needs some love. It is a shame that we have to make these changes one at a time, because reforming the Canada Labour Code at the federal level would correct a lot of inequities. That said, I am not going to digress from tonight's subject, which is the bill.
Quebec's Act respecting labour standards differs greatly from the Canada Labour Code. Here is what it says:
“An employee who believes they have been the victim of psychological harassment may file a complaint in writing with the Commission.” There is indeed a commission in Quebec that deals with the complaints. “Such a complaint may also be filed by a non-profit organization dedicated to the defence of employees' rights on behalf of one or more employees who consent thereto in writing.” Later on, it says, “Any complaint concerning psychological harassment must be filed within two years of the last incidence of the offending behaviour.”
I was listening to the discussions where members were talking about courage. It is exactly right that it takes courage, but it also takes means. Psychological harassment and violence in the workplace are phenomena that have been widely documented in every workplace, both unionized and not unionized, and in both the public sector and the private sector. Often, there are quite a few investigative processes to go through before a complaint can be filed, and the individual filing the complaint may struggle to cope.
Domestic violence is one thing, but we know that violence often occurs between peers. Filing a complaint is a laborious process that takes time and means. We need ways to ensure that the person filing the complaint can be sure that the process will be fair, impartial and objective. Quebec has found ways to do just that. Quebec has its Act respecting labour standards, and most collective agreements now also provide mechanisms for setting up joint workplace committees to deal with these issues. In short, once again, Quebec is a leader.
It is good that we are able to fix this. Canada has taken a small step, and now it needs to update it.
Canada ratified Convention 190 of the International Labour Organization, or ILO, in 2023. The convention officially took effect in 2024. It reads as follows, and I quote:
This Convention applies to violence and harassment in the world of work occurring in the course of, linked with or arising out of work: (a) in the workplace, including public and private spaces where they are a place of work; (b) in places where the worker is paid, takes a rest break or a meal, or uses sanitary, washing and changing facilities; (c) during work-related trips, travel, training, events or social activities; (d) through work-related communications, including those enabled by information and communication technologies; (e) in employer-provided accommodation; and (f) when commuting to and from work.
This cursory recap is simply intended to show that the conventions adopted by the ILO, a tripartite organization made up of worker, employer and government representatives, play an important role in labour law. I was pleased to accompany the Minister of Labour and Seniors when this convention was ratified. What the sponsor of Bill C‑378 is asking for is a minor correction to the Canada Labour Code, because now that the convention has been ratified, we need ways to implement it and we need to ensure that our laws reflect these measures. The relevant section of the Canada Labour Code must also ensure that we have the wherewithal to conduct reviews and analyses.
It is absolutely true to say that the last analysis report on the issue dates back to 2021. In 2023, we were at least provided with statistics on the number of incidents and the number of employees. Public servants and employees of the big banks alone account for roughly half of the complaints. That is a significant number. The fact that the time frame is only three months reflects a lack of understanding of everything that is involved in filing a complaint. It is also important to be aware of the facts.
I was pleased that Canada ratified the ILO convention. I consider it a major step forward. Now, as the saying goes, the government needs to walk the talk. The least we can do is fix the Canada Labour Code so as to create equity between employees and former employees. One day, perhaps, the definition of former employees will be removed.
With all due respect, I will say that I am pleasantly surprised that the Conservative Party suddenly seems to be siding with workers. We saw this recently with the bill on replacement workers, which passed with unanimous support. Now we are seeing it again with their sincere intention to amend the Canada Labour Code.
I remember Stephen Harper's Conservative government, whose unjust bills attacked the rights of workers, the right of association, the right of representation, the right to organize. They also attacked fundamental constitutional rights, such as the privacy of labour organizations. I am talking about two pieces of legislation.
I would say that usually in Quebec our labour law stands on its own, but, at the time, we saw some serious attacks against the union movement in Quebec, against unions that advance important issues. There were setbacks. We had to mobilize to counter these bills from the then Conservative government, and people remembered in 2015.
I hope that it is not just the election campaign that is prompting the Conservative Party's sudden pro-labour stance. The Bloc Québécois has always been pro-labour. It is in our DNA. I think the member is sincere and her intention is sincere. Naturally, we will be supporting this bill.
1282 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- menumenu
- notificationsnotifications
- home
- mailmail
- searchsearch
