- Member of Parliament
- Prime Minister
Leader of the Liberal Party
- Liberal
- Papineau
- Quebec
- Voting Attendance: 55%
- Expenses Last Quarter: $79,187.97
- Government Page
- May/8/24 3:21:19 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, this was a decision made by the professional public service. This is a reflection on the need to continue to deliver high-quality services for Canadians and move beyond the pandemic. We know that there were some extremely difficult times, and we know that Canadian public service members stepped up to extraordinary degrees to help Canadians through the pandemic.
We will continue to ensure that our public service is delivering at the level necessary for all Canadians. We will work with unions and all public servants to make sure that happens in the right way.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Mississauga East—Cooksville for his continued advocacy for Canadian workers. Indeed, the best deals are made at the bargaining table.
However, when Canadian workers see Conservative politicians like the members for Battlefords—Lloydminster, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan and Louis-Saint-Laurent parrot corporate talking points, they know that the Conservative Party of anti-union bills, Bill C-377 and Bill C-525, is still alive and kicking.
Canadians will not be fooled by the Conservative leader caving to pressure after a steady 19-year political career opposing unions.
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- Nov/29/23 3:23:51 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Surrey—Newton for his hard work.
Members of the Canadian Labour Congress were in Ottawa this week to express their frustration with the Conservative leader's silence on our government's replacement worker legislation. The last time that party stayed silent on a piece of legislation, it voted against Ukraine. For the 19 years the leader has been elected to the House, he has always voted against unions, including with Stephen Harper's Bill C-377 and Bill C-525, and it is increasingly obvious he will always stand against workers.
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- Nov/28/23 2:32:48 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we know to what extent strong unions and collective bargaining are essential to the prosperity of the middle class in this country. That is why, from 2015 onward, the government has been a friend to organized labour and has worked with it to overturn the anti-union legislation that the Stephen Harper government brought in, including the Leader of the Opposition as a minister in that government.
We have continued to stand with workers. We are very pleased that the NDP is supporting our replacement workers bill. We really hope the Conservatives will understand that supporting workers means supporting unions. We hope the Conservatives will stand up and support our anti-scab legislation.
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- Nov/28/23 2:31:16 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I know that the NDP likes to say it is the workers' party. However, since 2015, we have demonstrated that we are here to work hand-in-hand with unions. We did that by reversing the Harper government's anti-union bills, in which the current Leader of the Opposition played a part. We have been doing it for eight years, and we are going to continue doing it.
We are very pleased with the replacement worker bill. We are happy that the NDP is supporting our bill, and we hope that the Conservative party will understand that building a stronger middle class requires union support. We need to support the unions, too.
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- Apr/26/23 3:11:11 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, he wants to pretend he fights for ordinary Canadians, but he is not fighting for St. Thomas right now. He is not fighting for communities that need investment, that need opportunities to build those communities, to be there to support schools and after-school programs and hospitals and businesses in the kind of ecosystem it gets when one has a big investment like Volkswagen landing once again, after the Ford plant left under his leadership.
We are moving forward on delivering for Canadians. One of the great ways to make sure Canadians can better afford their homes is to have good-paying jobs, which again, with their attacks on unions and the middle class, they are not going to deliver.
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- Apr/26/23 3:07:05 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, this is exactly what we are doing. Our negotiators are making responsible proposals. We are working with the unions in good faith, and we hope to see this union challenge settled shortly because, yes, Canadians expect the same level of service that government employees provided in the difficult years recently behind us. We have to reach an agreement that is good for taxpayers and for public servants. This is exactly the work we are doing together now.
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- Apr/26/23 3:05:46 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, government negotiators and union representatives are working in good faith at the bargaining table. That is where this is happening. I should point out that the government has put forward a proposal that aligns with recommendations from an independent expert who said this was the right way to proceed. We have put forward this proposal, and it is definitely a starting point we can build on in the hopes of reaching an agreement in the days to come. That said, we will continue to work with the workers and with the unions in a spirit of respect and co-operation, because that is what we are doing.
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- Apr/26/23 2:55:11 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we take seriously the responsibility of engaging constructively with labour unions. That is why we are, right now, at the negotiating table. That is why our negotiators have put forward an offer that is aligned perfectly with the recommendation of third-party experts as a pathway to solution, and it is certainly something that we are going to be able to build on together and see built on at the negotiating table.
We have full confidence, not just in our negotiators and our minister, but in the union negotiators, who are fighting for better opportunities for their folks, and we know that is how we get to the right deal at the table.
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- Apr/26/23 2:34:18 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I must admit that I am a little perplexed to have to explain to a member of the NDP how union negotiations work. It has indeed been eight days. There are challenges at the bargaining table, but everyone is constructively and productively engaged in the process. In fact, the government's negotiators have just put an offer on the table that aligns with a third-party expert's recommendations. This offer provides a solid basis for moving forward. The talks are advancing. This is the way things work when unions are respected.
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- Apr/26/23 2:27:34 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we will take no lessons from the Conservative Party of Canada. Its approach on services to Canadians was to close Veterans Affairs offices; cut services to women; fight with the unions, including with legislation that was anti-union, like Bill C-525 and Bill C-377, which the member voted in favour of; or, furthermore, continue to make cuts across the board.
We have stepped up to support Canadians. Our public servants stepped up to help Canadians through the pandemic, and now we are in negotiations to make sure we get the right deal for them and the right deal for Canadians.
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- Apr/26/23 2:26:17 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, unlike the Conservative Party, we on this side of the House support workers and unions in the important work that they do.
We know that public servants provide important services to Canadians, and the government appreciates their work, particularly the work that they have done over the past few years, which have been difficult. That is why we are working tirelessly to come to an agreement that is fair for public servants and reasonable for taxpayers.
We will continue to ensure that everyone at the bargaining table takes the work seriously, and we will resolve this situation the right way.
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- Apr/25/23 2:31:42 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we all recognize how hard public servants have worked over the past few years and what a great job they did in providing the services Canadians needed during the pandemic.
That is why we are with them at the bargaining table to find the best way to move forward, to recognize the excellent work that they continue to do and to ensure that we come to a fair agreement that is reasonable for taxpayers.
That is what is happening at the bargaining table, where the negotiators and the unions will stay to do their job.
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- Apr/19/23 3:14:09 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we are engaged in full respect, in debate, in discussions and negotiations at the bargaining table, which is where that needs to happen. Our negotiators and the unions are hard at work finding a way to ensure that we continue to support and respect the extraordinary public servants who have worked so hard, including over these past difficult years of the pandemic, to deliver services for Canadians at the same time as we move forward in a way that is responsible for Canadian taxpayers.
This is the work we will do in good faith and positivity, just as we have always engaged with unions across the country.
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- Apr/19/23 2:58:08 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we know all too well what the Conservative playbook would be on this: back-to-work legislation even before the picket lines were brought up. That is what they have done before. That is their go-to on this.
On this side of the House, we actually respect and work with unions as partners. We respect the right to collective bargaining. We have been at the table working constructively. They continue to be at the table, right now, in constructive conversations. We will continue to be there to make sure that Canadians get the services they need and that public servants continue to get the respect they deserve, but they do not get that from the Conservatives.
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- Apr/19/23 2:50:19 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, despite the difficulty I had hearing the hon. member I think he was saying that we may have threatened to impose some sort of legislation. We are working in good faith at the negotiating table. For years, we have demonstrated our deep respect for the work of unions, this essential work they do to defend the middle class and good jobs, including within the public service.
We will continue to work in good faith at the negotiating table to ensure the continuity of service delivery for Canadians.
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- Apr/19/23 2:33:21 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as my NDP colleagues are well aware, we are actively involved in negotiations right now.
Our negotiators are at the table with the unions. They are putting forward responsible proposals that recognize the hard work that the public service has done over these past few extremely difficult years. That will also guarantee that we can continue to provide Canadians with much-needed services in a responsible manner.
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- Apr/19/23 2:32:14 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, government negotiators are, as we speak, at the table with the unions, bargaining in good faith toward getting to the right solution that will continue to deliver the services that Canadians rely on and that they were able to rely on through the pandemic from our extraordinary public service, but also making sure we are moving forward in responsible ways.
This is something that we have always stood for. We will continue to support unions and collective bargaining. This is the first day of labour disruptions. We continue to be very optimistic that we are going to be able to see this resolved where it needs to, at the bargaining table.
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- Apr/19/23 2:23:39 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, unlike the members opposite in the Conservative Party, we deeply respect the work that unions do across the country to stand up for good middle-class jobs. That is why we have ensured that the work is done at the bargaining table. We know there is progress being made, but it is an important principle to respect the work of the bargaining table. That is what we are encouraging people to continue to do, because, yes, Canadians deserve the services and we need to continue to support the public service that delivers those services to Canadians.
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- Mar/28/23 2:30:08 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, over the past few weeks, I have had the opportunity to sit down with union leaders, including that of the IBEW, across the country.
I have had an opportunity to thank them directly for all the incredible leadership they are showing in training Ukrainians and other new arrivals in this country. This will help Ukrainians to contribute fully to this country that is offering so much and is going to benefit so much from their being here.
We will continue to work hand in hand with union leadership and union members right across the country on creating growth for the middle class, on creating a strong future for our communities, and yes, on helping people fleeing war and violence all around the world. On that point, this government is close friends with unions and will continue to be.
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