Leslie Church

Mr. Speaker, while I sympathize with families like Daniel's, I want the member opposite to realize that the government is focused specifically on families like Daniel's. We have introduced the groceries and essentials benefit, for example, and over 17,000 families in that member's riding are going to be receiving their next cheque on October 5. That is meaningful support, up to approximately $1,800 for a family in his riding this year. If the Conservatives want to talk about affordability, they should come on board to our plan, which is focused on making sure that Canadians have money in their pockets to pay the cost of living.

Mr. Speaker, there is a plan on the table that is working for Canadians, and it is the Liberal plan. It includes doing things like making sure that families such as Daniel's have affordable child care, which is saving families in Ontario over $10,000 per year right now. It is ensuring that families in the member's riding have access to the Canada child benefit or to a national school food program so that Daniel's kids can go to school and actually have food in their stomachs. It is a program that the Conservative leader called bureaucracy yesterday. If the Conservatives want to stand here and fight for families, then they should come on board and stand—

Mr. Speaker, we are living through a moment of enormous change. Global markets are shifting, our trading relationships are changing and Canada has to be ready to meet the moment. That means focusing on what we can control and building here at home. We can make Canada a place where businesses want to invest, where projects actually get built, where Canadian goods can reach new markets and where those investments create good jobs for Canadian workers. That is what the building Canada strong act is about. It would bring greater speed, certainty and predictability to major project reviews. It would strengthen the trade corridors and ports that connect Canadian businesses to the world, and it would create the conditions to attract investment, put Canadian capital to work and build a more resilient and independent economy, because certainty matters. Certainty means investment. Investment means building. Building means jobs. All of that makes our economy stronger and more resilient in a world that is becoming less predictable. However, we cannot do any of that without a strong labour relations framework. The people who will build these projects, operate our ports and railways, move our goods and keep our economy running are Canadian workers. The strongest workplaces are workplaces where workers are treated fairly, where employers and unions have productive relationships and where people can sit down together and solve problems. That is why the labour measures in Bill C-39 matter. Free and fair collective bargaining is at the heart of our labour relations system. Let me be very clear: We are absolutely committed to workers' constitutional right to strike. The best deal is the deal reached by parties themselves at the table. In fact, our system works remarkably well. Approximately 95% of federally regulated labour disputes supported by the federal mediation and conciliation service are resolved without a work stoppage, but we also know that some of the bargaining relationships become difficult long before anyone reaches a picket line. This bill is about getting in earlier. It would provide greater support for first collective agreements, including bringing in the federal mediation and conciliation service from the beginning. It would provide earlier support in difficult bargaining relationships and relationship building after a dispute, because anyone who has worked in a workplace knows that a bitter dispute does not magically disappear when a collective agreement is signed. It would also invest in the institutions that make collective bargaining work, including the Canada Industrial Relations Board and the federal mediation and conciliation service, so that problems can be addressed earlier and workers are not left waiting because of backlogs. I also want to address section 107 directly, because I know that we have heard concern about it here in this House. Section 107 has existed in the Canada Labour Code for nearly 50 years. This bill does not create a new power. What it does is put new restrictions, guardrails and transparency around how that power can be used. Before a minister could direct the Canada Industrial Relations Board to end or suspend an ongoing work stoppage and impose a binding dispute resolution, two new conditions would have to be met. First, a special mediator would work intensively with the parties and provide a report to the minister that would be made public, a key factor for ensuring accountability for both parties and for ensuring that both parties are bargaining in good faith. The appointment of that mediator would not take away the right to strike or lock out. Their job would be to help the parties do what we want them to do in the first place, which is to reach an agreement themselves. Second, there would have to be a national impact assessment examining whether the dispute is or may be adversely affecting the national interest, including the consideration of free collective bargaining and the protected right to strike. These are real guardrails, and the principle behind them is straightforward: Collective bargaining remains the primary way labour disputes should be resolved. We have heard that recognition from labour. Canada's Building Trades Unions has been clear that it wants strong guardrails around government intervention and wants the right to strike protected, but the CBTU has also recognized the value of improving the process between bargaining and government intervention. As Sean Strickland has put it, “you've gone through some really substantive steps here to try to get parties to make a deal”. That is exactly the objective, to have more opportunity to negotiate, more opportunity to mediate and more opportunity for parties themselves to find the way forward. That is only one part of the labour reforms in this bill. Bill C-39 would strengthen protections for the workers we are asking to help build this country. It would crack down on wage theft and worker misclassification. It would strengthen workplace health and safety, including through more inspections and a greater focus on workers' health and safety, and it would protect workers in air transportation when contracts change hands, so they can keep their union representation and collective agreement. These things matter. A worker should get the wages they earned. They should be safe when they go to work and safe when they come home. When something does go wrong, they should have a labour system capable of responding quickly and fairly. I want to recognize what the Building Trades of Alberta has said about this bill. There are 19 unions in Alberta. I visited them only last week. These are ironworkers, carpenters, machinists and bricklayers. They have said that they welcome the Canadian government's Bill C-39, which will expedite project approvals and help our job-ready workforce build Canada strong. I want to finish where I started. We are living in a more uncertain world, but we can control what we build here at home. We can build the projects this country needs. We can move Canadian goods to markets. We can attract investment, create good jobs and make sure Canadian workers share in the prosperity that they create, and we can do it with a labour relations system that protects workers, respects collective bargaining and gives employers and unions the tools to solve problems together, because this moment demands more than resilience from Canada; it demands ambition. Canadians want to build. We want to invest in ourselves. We want to compete, and we want to give ourselves more of what no country, no trade dispute and no decision made beyond our borders can take away, which is the capacity to build for ourselves, the confidence to bet on ourselves and the ability to determine our own economic future. That is what this bill would help Canada to do, and it is why I call on all members of the House to support the legislation. Let us get to work, and let us build Canada.

Mr. Speaker, this bill is the product of two rounds of public consultations with employers and unions. As well, it follows nearly half a year's worth of conversation and consultation with the tripartite council that we established in order to do the hard work and the heavy lifting to build this bill. I take issue with the members' framing of this. The government is actually hard at work pushing projects to approval, including the port of Montreal, the Matawinie mine and BHP's potash project. There is the OPG Pickering refurbishment that the Minister of Natural Resources announced earlier this week. These are all examples of projects that are moving forward, but we have to do more, and this bill would get us to one project, one decision, one year.

Mr. Speaker, our unionized workers are the backbone of a strong Canadian economy. This bill takes into account the recommendations made by unions, employers and management representatives during two rounds of public consultations. It seeks to strengthen good-faith bargaining and get better results for workers, employers and Canadians. As workplaces continue to evolve, labour laws in Canada must evolve with them to ensure that these workplaces remain fair, safe and productive.

Mr. Speaker, my colleague hit the nail on the head. This legislation is designed to ensure that we can meet the moment. Under the strain and threat we are facing from abroad, it is important that we be able to demonstrate to Canadians that we can move projects forward, be competitive—

Mr. Speaker, it is exactly Canadians like Romeo and Romeo's family who are top of mind for us in our agenda and in the work that we are doing to support Canadians at this time. I hope Romeo has access to some of the initiatives we have brought forward, like the groceries and essentials benefit. Perhaps his family has access to affordable child care or to a Canada dental plan, or perhaps Romeo's kids have access to the national school food program, which helps bring down the cost of groceries for families to the tune of about $800 a year. These are supports we have put in place that we ae going to continue to support, and I would ask the member opposite to help us in that.

Mr. Speaker, as I would hope my colleague across the way would know, we have actually done some work to try to build houses in Ontario. We have reduced development fees to encourage homebuilding in Ontario, saving families up to $200,000 on the cost of a home. We are doing that while investing unprecedented amounts in building Canadian homes, because we know we need to increase the supply of homes, and that is exactly what we are doing. For my colleague and for Romeo, I hope he knows that we are a government that has his back, and whether it is his home, his family or the job that he is looking for—

Mr. Speaker, let me be crystal clear. We will always protect the rights of workers, and we will always support workers' constitutional right to strike. As the member opposite knows, when we are talking about section 107, we always believe that this should only be used in exceptional circumstances. The legislation that we have brought forward establishes clear guardrails and new transparency for its use, and it helps us make sure that bargaining is actually more successful. We cannot build the Canada we need without workers. They are at the core of our agenda, and we support them wholeheartedly.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Winnipeg Centre for her commitment to Canadian workers. We are firmly committed to protecting workers' rights and ensuring a free and fair collective bargaining process. Workers must have real bargaining power. The right to strike is protected in Canada because it is an essential element of free and balanced negotiations. Our government has taken concrete measures to protect that right. Bill C-58 was a major milestone in the fight for fairness at the bargaining table. Prohibiting the use of replacement workers protects a meaningful right to strike and makes employers and unions work together and find solutions. Collective bargaining works. Over the last five years, 95% of disputes that the federal mediation and conciliation service supported were resolved without work stoppages. This shows the system works well when the right support tools are available. However, negotiation is not a simple process, and we are at a pivotal moment. Trade rules are rapidly changing, and our economy faces unprecedented attacks. This is having damaging consequences. At the same time, Canada is working to build major infrastructure, strengthen trade corridors and supply chains, and create good jobs across the country through measures such as Bill C-39. Some labour disputes can therefore have serious economic repercussions, but we cannot build a strong economy without respecting the workers who keep it running every day. That is why Bill C-39 proposes measures to modernize the federal labour framework, strengthen protections for workers in federally regulated industries and help parties address issues earlier, while fully protecting the right to strike. We all have a stake in ensuring an economy can withstand shocks and remain competitive. In some situations, the economic and social impacts are substantive. There can be extraordinary times where the government must retain the ability to intervene, but there should be a clear framework in place to explain that decision to Canadians transparently. I want to be very clear: Our government believes that extraordinary interventions in a labour dispute should always be a last resort. Canadians appreciate this. They know that prolonged disputes can have a massive impact on Canadian families, Canadian jobs and our entire economy. Canadians understand that we must do two things at once: We must protect workers and strengthen economic resilience. They know that when there are strong, supported relationships between employers and workers, where workers are fairly paid and their concerns are addressed, that is the best way to create stability, and that stability drives investment and economic growth, which Canada needs today more than ever. The members opposite need to remember that Canadians chose a government that they knew would keep the state of labour relations strong. Our approach must be pragmatic. We continue to work together with unions and employers to maintain trust in the system and ensure fairness in the workplace. Our collective objective is clear. It is to strengthen good-faith bargaining, protect workers' rights and ensure a strong labour relations framework that helps achieve better outcomes for workers, for employers and for Canadians.

Mr. Speaker, Bill C-39 has many objectives. At its heart, it would strengthen collective bargaining by helping parties address issues earlier, reach negotiated agreements and resolve disputes while fully protecting the right to strike. I hope the member opposite takes this to heart. By acknowledging Canada's economic realities and promoting free and fair bargaining, we enable Canada to remain strong, stable and competitive. Ultimately, that protects workers. However, I would hope that all parties in this House agree over the coming days as we debate this important legislation that workers know and should know that their rights are protected and respected. Employers need to know that there is a clear, fair and effective process for resolving disputes. When negotiations go well, everyone wins, and that is the best way for us to create a strong, stable and growing economy for all Canadians.

Mr. Speaker, what did 13 provincial premiers and territorial premiers agree to this week? They agreed to a permanent doubling of the national school food program that will be brought into 10,000 schools across the country. Thirteen provinces and territories agreed, but this opposition cannot get on board to feed kids in our schools. If they are going to stand up and talk about affordability for Canadians, they should do something about it. They should get on board with the school food program that we need for our kids.

Mr. Speaker, we are incredibly proud of this program. Last year alone, it supported over 2,600 projects right across Canada, helping seniors stay active and engaged and fight isolation. This year, we are increasing the value of the grants and we are making some changes to strengthen the integrity of the program. Service Canada is there to assist any organization with questions on how to apply and we are going to make sure that this program remains accessible for seniors and organizations, and meets the standards of integrity that Canadians expect.

Mr. Speaker, it is quite the opposite. We have worked hand in hand with organizations to ensure that these changes to this program are welcomed. We know that this program delivers important services for seniors in every single riding of every member in this House. That is something that we are going to continue. We will take no lessons from the Conservatives in our support for seniors, while they continue to vote against programs like the dental care plan and the groceries and essentials benefit that benefit single seniors right across the country.

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 32(2) and subsection 39(3) of the Accessible Canada Act, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the annual report of the Accessibility Commissioner of Canada for the 2025-26 fiscal year. Pursuant to Standing Order 32(5), the report should be referred to the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities.

Madam Speaker, this is a government that is hard at work for all Canadians. We have a plan to build Canada strong, and on days like today we are seeing real progress with 88,000 net new jobs. The largest increase in those jobs is in construction. Youth unemployment fell by nearly a point. In the member's home province alone there are 14,000 new jobs. Our plan is working. We are hard at work. We are going to keep working for Canadians.

Mr. Speaker, I hopefully have good news for the constituents of that member's riding. Tomorrow, over 27,000 members of that member's constituency are going to receive the groceries and essentials benefit. That is tax-free. That is automatic. That is $530 in the pockets of a family with two children or $267 for someone who is single. That is real help to make life more affordable for Canadians in that member's own riding.

Mr. Speaker, let us think about the consequences of Conservative policy on those very Canadians that member is talking about. They would be families without child care. They would be families without dental care. They would be families without a national school food program. They would be families that would not benefit from a cut to middle-class taxes. These are the policies that our government is putting forward because we are actually on the side of Canadians.

Madam Speaker, I am very glad to have the opportunity to respond this evening. While the member opposite and many of his Conservative colleagues have drawn up elaborate theories about PrescribeIT and Canada Health Infoway, their position does not make any sense. The member opposite has been making absurd claims about a program launched by the previous government, but here are the facts. Our government ended funding for the program because it was not sustainable. Not only that, but the CEO of the organization that launched the program was fired. On top of that, in the House yesterday during question period, the Minister of Health said that she is reviewing funding for the organization in question, Canada Health Infoway. She is looking at its mandate and said that it is not getting any money unless we are sure that its work aligns with its mandate. It does not get more clear-cut than that, except the Conservatives have decided to spread misinformation about the program, all in the name of social media clicks. It is hard to take the outrage on this seriously, especially when we see the Conservatives' behaviour at the health committee, where they have been filibustering since May 7. For the last four meetings, they have used every tool at their disposal to stop the health committee from even voting on a study of the HIV crisis. Every so often they have asked who could possibly be asking for such a study, calling it useless. I think most Canadians in the House would agree that, particularly in Pride Month of all months, that is an untenable and unfathomable position. Does the House know who cares about doing this study? It is some of Canada's leading activists and organizations working in the field of HIV and AIDS who are calling for it. Who else cares about this study? It is the tens of thousands of Canadians living with HIV, not to mention their families and loved ones. When the Conservatives pretend to care about health care in this country, let us look at their actions: spreading false narratives about health care projects and preventing important health care studies from taking place.

Madam Speaker, once again, let us focus on the facts. The minister has been very forthcoming in terms of her presence on this matter and before committee. The previous government helped launch PrescribeIT. Our government announced it was ending. We have already seen that Quebec has signed a contract to launch PrescribeIT in that province. The Conservatives would rather play parliamentary games than focus on issues that matter to Canadians. As we are seeing at the health committee, that means blocking studies on important health topics like HIV. Our government will always focus on what matters to Canadians. It would be very nice if the Conservatives would do the same.