Senator Dagenais: You talked about telework. As a former union leader, I’d like you to inform the President of the Treasury Board that a letter of understanding on working from home is an integral part of a collective agreement.

This collective agreement represents a $1.3-billion annual wage increase. I’m not opposed to home-based work. However, I’d like to know whether your government knows the real cost of the letter of understanding on working from home. As we’ve come to expect over the past few years, this government continues to sign agreements without considering what it will cost Canadians.

Hon. Jean-Guy Dagenais: Honourable senators, I rise today to acknowledge that the month of May is Vision Health Month in Canada.

I’m especially pleased to do so because this designation goes back 10 years and was proposed by my friend, former senator Asha Seth, who is here with us today with representatives from the Canadian National Institute for the Blind and the Canadian Council of the Blind.

Here in this chamber and in her professional life, Dr. Seth has always supported and stood up for the blind and the visually impaired.

[English]

Sight loss can impact anyone at any time. According to Statistics Canada, there are 1.5 million Canadians who are blind or partially blind in our country, and over 5.6 million Canadians are living today with a vision-threatening condition.

[Translation]

Vision problems have a serious impact on peoples’ daily lives, which is why it’s important to support any political and medical strategy that will improve the quality of life of those affected.

Esteemed colleagues, Vision Health Month should remind us just how important vision is, and above all, that prevention is important for maintaining our vision health.

[English]

Making eye health, vision care and rehabilitation services a population health priority requires meaningful federal support, and I look forward to what we will accomplish in the next 10 years of celebrating Vision Health Month.

This month is also about championing the good work of organizations that help people along in their journey after they have lost their sight.

[Translation]

I would now like to take a moment to point out that the Canadian National Institute for the Blind was founded in Canada 105 years ago now, in 1918, to help our First World War veterans.

[English]

The Canadian National Institute for the Blind, or CNIB, started with 27 employees, and now has more than 11,000 professionals and 10,000 volunteers working in many fields within eight operating divisions in our country in order to provide help and services to blind people.

We must thank all these people for their commitment to ease the lives of Canadians with vision problems.

[Translation]

Colleagues, if time permits at the end of the day, you’re all invited to an event in celebration of Vision Health Month, to be held from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Métropolitain.

Thank you for your attention.

[English]

Hon. Jean-Guy Dagenais: My question is for the Government Representative in the Senate. The government reached an agreement that put an end to the strike by 120,000 federal public servants that began on April 19.

I would tell you that after dragging its feet in these negotiations, the government is now giving public servants an 11.5% salary increase compared to the 12.6% they asked for and deserved.

As a former union leader, I’ll forever be surprised to see governments drag things out rather than negotiating seriously with unions. Financial considerations aside, this 20-day strike is now causing delays in issuing passports, visas abroad and processing immigration files, as though the situation weren’t devastating enough for people waiting for these services.

Can you explain why the government, which has never shown restraint in public expenditures, delayed for such a long time before giving public servants what they were asking for? Now, it’s congratulating itself on arriving at a fair settlement, but it only did so after a 20-day strike. This delay has had an impact on the lives of Canadians that could have been avoided. Between you and me, what was the logic behind these negotiations?