March 9, 2009
News release
Senators on the right track with budget bill
Ottawa – The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) is congratulating Senators who are making the case that many of the non-budgetary changes in Bill C-10 should be carved out and debated separately.
“From the beginning, PSAC and its members have been trying to make the point with Parliamentarians that the Public Sector Equitable Compensation Act is not a budgetary measure and should be withdrawn from Bill C-10,” says PSAC National President John Gordon.
“We also made the point that while the fast track process being used by the government to adopt Bill C-10 may be appropriate for the budgetary stimulus measures, it is completely inappropriate for other pieces of legislation affected by the bill.”
During second reading debate in the Senate last week, it was pointed out that only 27 of the 550-plus pages of the budget bill actually relate to the budget and economic stimulus measures. As one Senator noted, the Senate is being asked to make amendments to 42 acts of Parliament, many of which have no connection to the budget.
“The Harper government is using the economic crisis as an excuse to make changes to a whole range of laws – changes that are not urgent, require thoughtful examination and deserve full public debate,” says Gordon.
The Conservatives have indicated repeatedly that they want Bill C-10 to become law by the end of March.
“Before the Conservative spin machine goes into hyperdrive at the thought of the Senate actually taking a sober second look at this bill, they should consider Senator Lowell Murray's idea to deal with the urgent aspects of the Bill first,” says Gordon.
Murray has suggested that the Senate should deal with the budget and fiscal stimulus aspects of C-10 and send them back to the House of Commons next week so that the urgent measures in the bill could have Royal Assent as early as March 13. That would allow Parliament to give proper consideration to the rest of the legislative agenda in C-10 in the form of separate bills.
“The Public Sector Equitable Compensation Act is a serious law that will strip federal public sector women of their right to pay equity,” says Gordon. “And many more of the changes in Bill C-10 will also have serious consequences for Canadians.”
“Senator Murray has proposed a workable alternative that will meet the government's demand for approval of their economic stimulus package, while simultaneously protecting the democratic process.”
PSAC members are mobilizing around the country to contact Senators in their province, urging them to remove the Public Sector Equitable Compensation Act from budget bill.
For information and interviews:
Ariel Troster, PSAC Communications, 613-292-8363 (cell)
15-090309
Date Modified : 2010/07/29
