Chris in the Commons

Ms. Chris Charlton (Hamilton Mountain, NDP):

Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to present a petition that is being circulated by members of the CAW, calling for a comprehensive overhaul of the employment insurance system.

The petitioners rightly point out that EI is a powerful economic stabilizer and, particularly during this deep recession, it is essential that this fundamental poverty prevention program be made more broadly accessible with better benefits.

Ms. Chris Charlton (Hamilton Mountain, NDP):

Mr. Speaker, Sunday was International Women's Day, a day to celebrate women's achievements.

With the increase in women's visibility as impressive role models, one could think that women have gained true equality, but women are still not paid equally to men. Women are still not present in equal numbers in business or politics. Globally, women's education, health and the violence against them is worse than that of men.

Ms. Chris Charlton (Hamilton Mountain, NDP):

Madam Speaker, it is my pleasure to rise in the House today to support motion M-294, which has been introduced by the hon. member for Vaudreuil-Soulanges. There is absolutely no doubt that Canada's federal Labour Code needs to be amended to include a ban on replacement workers or scabs during strikes and lockouts. In fact, it is way past due.

Ms. Chris Charlton (Hamilton Mountain, NDP)

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-337, An Act to amend the Canada Labour Code (replacement workers).

She said: Mr. Speaker, it is my great pleasure today to introduce a bill to ban replacement workers, or scabs, during strikes and lockouts.

New Democrats have always struggled for the rights of working people and this bill represents a critical piece of that struggle. It is essential for ensuring that the right to free collective bargaining cannot be undermined.

Ms. Chris Charlton (Hamilton Mountain, NDP):

Mr. Speaker, whether it is Xstrata, Vale Inco or U.S. Steel, the government has legal agreements with foreign companies that bought Canadian assets with clear job protection provisions, but when these firms reneged, the government simply rolled over.

Thousands of Canadians are being thrown out of work because the government refuses to enforce its own legal agreements.

Why should working families trust the government with more foreign takeovers after it has proven it cannot handle the ones already allowed?

Ms. Chris Charlton (Hamilton Mountain, NDP):

Mr. Speaker, when it comes to protecting public medicare, no community stands up as united as my riding of Hamilton Mountain. We rallied to save Henderson General Hospital. We rallied to save the VON services. We rallied at Michelangelo's to oppose the ideological funding cuts that threaten the quality of our care.

Hospital building projects are important, but they will stand as meaningless monuments to medicare without investments and staff.

Ms. Chris Charlton (Hamilton Mountain, NDP):

Mr. Speaker, the government is continuing to sell out the workers of our industrial heartland. When U.S. Steel acquired Stelco, it made a deal with Industry Canada, which conveniently was not publicly released. We saw it with Xstrata, with Vale Inco and now with U.S. Steel.

When it comes to foreign takeovers, the government does not have the guts to enforce agreements and protect Canadian workers unless there is public pressure. We need accountability on this file.

Ms. Chris Charlton (Hamilton Mountain, NDP):

Ms. Chris Charlton (Hamilton Mountain, NDP):

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present two more petitions, both of which were circulated by members and supporters of the building trades. The petitioners come from all over Ontario, but many of them are from my riding of Hamilton Mountain.

Ms. Chris Charlton (Hamilton Mountain, NDP):

Mr. Speaker, the government's failure to include a domestic preference provision in the stimulus package is aggravating the challenges to Canada's steel industry. There is no strategy to protect the jobs of today and no strategy to create the green collar jobs of tomorrow.

I know I speak for the workers in Hamilton and Nanticoke when I say that we need a buy-Canadian policy in line with NAFTA and WTO and we desperately need a strategy for the future.