Speech - June 20, 2000: Bill No. 59

Bill No. 59
The Construction Industry Labour Relations Amendment Act, 2000

Mr. Wall: — Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to be able to tell you and through you to my colleagues that it is a pleasure to stand and enter this debate on Bill 59.

But I can’t say that, Mr. Speaker. I can’t make that claim because I, along with Saskatchewan small-business men and women, along with my colleagues here, with employers, and with the majority of construction workers in the province, would rather that this Bill never touched the Table of this Assembly, Mr. Speaker.

We would have rather that this government did not . . . would not have the gall to bring it into this Assembly.

Mr. Speaker, if you would have told the people of this province that this government, or any government for that matter, could possibly dream up and conceive of something more odious, more destructive, and more anti-small-business than the NDP’s Crown Construction Tendering Agreement to replace it, no one would have believed you, Mr. Speaker.

But sadly we have underestimated this government’s ability to innovate and this government’s ability to create in terms of coming up with hurtful, unfair, paternalistic, and needless policies that harm our economic future and kill jobs, Mr. Speaker. Unfortunately, the rules under which construction companies have been operating for the last 20 years — by this legislation if it’s rammed through by the members opposite — will now be arbitrarily changed overnight by a government that’s bent on pleasing the union leadership of this province.

There is a talk show host in Saskatchewan, Mr. Speaker, Mr. John Gormley, who recently characterized this attempt to mollify union bosses as a wounded animal going home to die, Mr. Speaker.

That’s a graphic depiction, but if this government continues to introduce this kind of legislation, if this government continues to attack the men and women that are creating jobs and creating wealth in this province through Bills like this, then there will be a political death, Mr. Speaker. And it will be an obituary that will read of those members opposite, Mr. Speaker. They will pay a political price for that kind of legislation, that is to be sure.

Mr. Speaker, one thing that both those who oppose this Bill and those who support this Bill agree on, is that it is significant legislation. Mr. Speaker, I think it’s also fair to say that the introduction of any legislation by a government, but especially that of a significant nature, should be intended to address some major problem or fill some legislative gap. If not, Mr. Speaker, then the Bill is significant for all the wrong reasons. And so I think it’s time to look at that.

What major problem in the construction industry, in the construction labour relations field, has precipitated this Bill? Has the industry been plagued by strikes? What about lockouts, have employers been locking out their staff? Have there been an inordinate number of unfair labour practices in this industry, or grievances, or bitter certification battles? The answer to all of those questions is no, Mr. Speaker.

So why then, why then is the Bill significant? Well, as I said, it is significant for all the wrong reasons. Consider what will be wrought by the NDP in this legislation. Consider the employees of currently non-union companies on whose behalf their non-union employers will now be forced to deduct union dues. Consider those employees who are laid off, as is often the case in a seasonal industry, who then must join a union to be rehired.

And the member for Regina South seems to indicate that he believes that when these employees are forced to join a union, they’re going to get a pay raise. What he ignores, Mr. Speaker, are simply the facts. And the facts are that in this province the non-unionized construction industry is often paying wages that are higher than union workers are getting in this province, Mr. Speaker.

Some Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Mr. Wall: — Mr. Speaker, consider the employees who will be laid off, as is often the case in this seasonal industry, who then must rejoin a union to be hired. Mr. Speaker, that is forced unionization.

And all of the press releases, and all of the spin doctors, and all of the sanctimony by the Minister of Labour cannot change that fact. If it walks like a duck, and talks like a duck, it’s a duck, Mr. Speaker.

Some Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Mr. Wall: — It is a big, ugly, anti-business, job-killing duck — that’s what we’re dealing with here. And, Mr. Speaker . . . and Mr. Speaker, consider the sub-trades, the thousands of men and women either employed or creating jobs in this sector of our economy.

Unionized agreements in this province have sub-contracting restrictions which make it illegal for unionized companies to hire non-unionized firms. Companies caught by this Bill, Mr. Speaker, will be forced to abide by the terms of these agreements stretching out the long and the destructive arm of this particular Bill even to mom and pop operations, small business men and women across this province.

How are any of these provisions good for the province of Saskatchewan? Will they improve fairness? Will they improve labour harmony? Will they create jobs, Mr. Speaker? The answer is an absolute and unequivocal no to all of those questions.

Will this Bill help the businesses in my community, Mr. Speaker? Will it help them create even a single job or to retain the jobs they have? This Bill cannot possibly help Frontier Construction of Swift Current. It’s of no use to Bridal Construction or Riverside Electric or Melhoff Electric. McElheran Construction will find no earthly good in this Bill; neither will Swift Painting or Payless Painting in the city of Swift Current and in the surrounding area, Mr. Speaker.

And, Mr. Speaker, one of the companies that employs up to 19 people in Swift Current, Dominion Construction is even reconsidering whether it wants to stay in a province that would force unionization and implement legislation so harmful to the industry. That’s what Dominion Construction has said. They have an office in Swift Current that employs 19 people.

And if you question at all whether I and members on this side of the House care about those 19 jobs, you need not question it because we do and that’s why we’re going to oppose and fight against this legislation every step of the way.

Some Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Mr. Wall: — So if it is not needed, Mr. Speaker, because of the labour peace that has existed in the industry, and if it is of no help to either the construction employers in our province or the construction workers, who then benefits? Who will be helped by the Bill?

Well I would imagine, Mr. Speaker, that NDP fundraisers will be helped by this Bill. I would imagine that the quid pro quo for this odious legislation is the ongoing financial support of the province’s union leadership for the members opposite, for the Government of Saskatchewan, Mr. Speaker.

And that is the kind of politics that people lined up September 16 in the province of Saskatchewan to reject. That’s the kind of politics members on this side of the House object to. We will continue to fight against that kind of politics, Mr. Speaker, that buys favour from a government.

Mr. Speaker, if my time as an economic developer in this province taught me anything at all, it is that the number one priority, the number one priority for a new business considering a location in the province of Saskatchewan, or for an existing business considering expansion, is the business environment. That’s what businesses told me when I was an economic developer, that they were looking for. They were looking for a positive business environment. One of the most important considerations in assessing business environment is the labour environment, the labour legislation in the province.

Mr. Speaker, in time after time I have dealt with businessmen and women who simply could not abide the labour environment in the province of Saskatchewan under this NDP government.

This Bill and all of the attendant issues and red tape and regulations that have been foisted onto business community by this government, be it through Workers’ Comp or occupational health and safety or various pieces of labour legislation, too often has driven businesses and the jobs they create and the taxes they pay out of the province of Saskatchewan.

What we need in this province, Mr. Speaker, is to foster a positive business environment, one that encourages entrepreneurs, that encourages men and women to stay here, to build here, to create jobs here, and yes, to pay taxes here that will fund education, health care, and highways, and a responsible social safety net for our province.

We need a government that is more concerned about union members than they are about union leaders, Mr. Speaker. We need legislation that assumes the best of those who create jobs. We need a government that assumes the best of the business sector of our province. Legislation that is not grounded in the assumption and expectation that these people have some sort of agenda against the working men and women of the province.

We need a government that has a vision that sees past where its political donations are coming from. We need a cabinet and a government, Mr. Speaker, that does not believe that the private sector is inherently evil. Because it most assuredly, it most assuredly is not. The private sector in our province is the very backbone of our economy. Small-business men and women, and I include farmers when I mention that category, are the one and the only reason that we can afford anything that we treasure in this province.

Without them, like those in the construction industry, there would be no jobs for Saskatchewan families, no taxes paid to fund our schools, no taxes paid to fund our health care system, or to pay our nurses, or our teachers, or our social workers. They represent the core funding that builds our schools and our hospitals and our highways, Mr. Speaker.

And I honestly wonder if the members opposite understand that when they draft and present legislation like this.

Do they understand that that’s where all of it comes from. It doesn’t come from government; it doesn’t appear out of the sky. It comes from the business sector. From small-business men and women in this province who need the kind of an environment . . . who need the kind of an environment that fosters and encourages development. That doesn’t have them sitting at their desks and examining their options, and deciding if this is the place they even want to be, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I could tell you — I could tell you with surety — I could tell you with surety that members on this side of the House, we understand the importance of a vibrant and healthy small-business sector in Saskatchewan. We understand the importance of a business environment that is conducive for all businesses in the province, be they union or non-union.

And we understand the importance of a government that will stand firm against those who would have it introduce legislation that is clearly intended to favour the very few number of businesses in the province, Mr. Speaker.

It is a solemn and a serious duty that we have to represent those job and wealth creators. To consider the impact of each and every measure that’s brought forward by this government against those measures.

Now, Mr. Speaker, this Bill is fundamentally flawed. It’s flawed on every level. And today we heard from the member for Redberry Lake of the latest missive from the Saskatchewan Alliance for Economic Growth who have some very serious concerns about this piece of legislation.

Now the government may seek to minimize this criticism that they had from the alliance. They may write it off as one or two groups in the province who oppose this legislation. And that is why, Mr. Speaker, I think it’s worth reading a list of those who have endorsed the position of the Saskatchewan Alliance for Economic Growth, who are simply asking to meet with the Premier. Who are only asking to meet with the Premier and talk about the Bill and possibly delay it until that consultation can happen.

Mr. Speaker, members of the Saskatchewan Alliance for Economic Growth and the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, the North Saskatoon Business Association, the Prairie Implements Manufacturers Association, the Regina Chamber of Commerce, the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce, the Saskatchewan Construction Association, the Saskatoon and District Chamber of Commerce, the Lloydminster Chamber of Commerce, the Estevan Chamber of Commerce, the Moose Jaw Construction Association, Prince Albert Construction Association, Regina Construction Association, Saskatoon Construction Association, the road builders, the Lloydminster Construction Association, the electrical contractors, general contractors, the Mechanical Contractors Association, the Merit Contractors Association, the Saskatchewan Masonry Institute, the Saskatchewan drywall and acoustical association, Saskatchewan steel fabricators and erectors, Saskatchewan Construction Labour Relations Council, Saskatchewan professional painting contractors, the Meadow Lake Tribal Council, and the Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association.

I can only imagine how many employees, how many families, how many small businessmen and women in our province are represented by the list of people I just read.

And what are they asking for, Mr. Speaker? All that they ask is that this Premier and that minister would meet with them — just to meet with them to discuss their concerns and see if the Bill can be delayed until that could happen.

We asked the question today in question period and the answer was no. We don’t have time for the thousands of families that are represented by those associations. We don’t have 30 minutes, we don’t have 30 minutes in our busy day to meet with the business community of this province that are concerned about this Bill.

Well, Mr. Speaker, soon — and very soon — the Saskatchewan people, the Saskatchewan voters aren’t going to have any time for this government.

Some Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Mr. Wall: — And it’s going to start on the June 26 down in Wood River. They’re going to send a message loud and clear that they don’t have five minutes for your kind of arrogance. They won’t have five minutes for your sanctimony. And they won’t have five minutes for your misguided legislation like Bill No. 59, Madam Minister.

Mr. Speaker, this Bill is flawed on so many levels. It lets down our construction workers. It lets down our construction employers in this province. And it lets down taxpayers as a whole as it risks still a greater exodus of well-paying and meaningful jobs in our province.

Mr. Speaker, I and my colleagues cannot and will not support this Bill. We are not prepared to let construction workers down. We’re not prepared to let construction employers down.

Mr. Speaker, you can summarize Bill 59 thusly — it is wrong for working people, it is wrong for their employers, and it is wrong for Saskatchewan, Mr. Speaker, and we won’t be supporting it today.

And so, Mr. Speaker, I would move, seconded by the member for Lloydminster:

That the motion be amended by deleting all of the words after the word "that" and substituting the following therefore:

Bill 59, The Construction Industry Labour Relations Amendment Act be now read a second time, but that it be read a second time this day six months hence.

I so move.