Wednesday, April 16, 1997 1:30 p.m.

ND Leader, Pam Barrett calls for emergency debate on Safeway Strike. Questions the use of replacement workers. Long Article.

Tuesday, April 22, 1997 1:30 p.m.

Liberal Opposition question Labour Minister on Safeway Strike and replacement workers

Monday, April 21, 1997 1:30 p.m.

MS BARRETT: Mr. Speaker, thank you. I wish to present to the Assembly a petition signed by 209 Albertans urging the government to enact "legislation that would prevent the use of replacement workers during strike action."

Wednesday, April 23, 1997 1:30 p.m.

Liberal Opposition MLA, MacDonald, hand's in petition against replacement workers

Legislative Assembly of Alberta,Monday, April 28, 1997 1:30 p.m.

Presenting Petitions

MS BARRETT: Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased to present a petition signed by nearly 200 people asking the Alberta government to introduce legislation which would "prevent the use of replacement workers during strike action."

Liberals have Speaker read Wed. April 23 petition against replacement workers.

Tuesday, April 29, 1997 1:30 p.m.

THE SPEAKER: The hon. leader of the ND opposition.

MS BARRETT: Thanks, Mr. Speaker. I'd request that the petition I filed on Monday, April 28 and last week's petition be now read and received.

THE CLERK:

We the undersigned residents of Alberta petition the Legislative Assembly of Alberta to urge the government of Alberta to introduce legislation that would prevent the use of replacement workers during strike action.

Tuesday, May 13, 1997 1:30 p.m.

MS BARRETT: I am pleased today to file with the Assembly a petition signed by 4,412 Albertans urging the government to introduce legislation to ban replacement workers. This is on top, Mr. Speaker, of the other similar petitions in the many hundreds that I've had the pleasure to table.

Wednesday, May 21, 1997 1:30 p.m.

Reading and Receiving Petitions

THE SPEAKER: The hon. leader of the ND opposition.

MS BARRETT: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The always-running- late leader.

I ask that the petition I introduced to the Legislature from the people in support of anti replacement worker legislation be now read and received.

THE CLERK:

We the undersigned residents of Alberta petition the Legislative Assembly of Alberta to urge the government of Alberta to introduce legislation that would prevent the use of replacement workers during strike action.

Tuesday, May 27, 1997 1:30 p.m.

Presenting Petitions

THE SPEAKER: The hon. leader of the ND opposition.

MS BARRETT: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm kind of hidden from the console, so they wouldn't know to turn it on unless you identify me. Well, my height might be a deterrent too.

Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased to introduce today a petition signed by 292 Albertans asking the Alberta government to introduce legislation which would prohibit the use of replacement workers during strike action.

Wednesday, May 28, 1997 1:30 p.m.

Reading and Receiving Petitions

THE SPEAKER: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Strathcona.

DR. PANNU: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move that the petition presented by the hon. leader of the ND opposition be read and received.

THE CLERK:

We the undersigned residents of Alberta petition the Legislative Assembly of Alberta to urge the government of Alberta to introduce legislation that would prevent the use of replacement workers during strike action.

Wednesday, June 4, 1997 1:30 p.m.

Privilege

Private Member's Bill

MS BARRETT: Mr. Speaker, thank you. For the benefit of all members I'll read the letter that I wrote to you earlier today. It says:

This afternoon in the House I'd like to raise a point of privilege. This point of privilege concerns my rights as a member to introduce a Private Members Bill that has already been drafted and is in order.

Thank you for your cooperation in this matter.

Mr. Speaker, in making my case, I need to first of all tell you what I'm not arguing. Okay. I am not arguing against the Bill draw. The Bill draw has been around forever. I am not arguing against that. I am not saying that just because I . . .

THE SPEAKER: It is appropriate, though, hon. member, to provide citations when rising on a point of privilege. It is the most important of all points in an Assembly.

MS BARRETT: Mr. Speaker, I will read from a document from the former Speaker dated March 21, 1997.

As you know there is very little time before the opening of session. Parliamentary Counsel will be under tremendous pressure to prepare Bills prior to April 15. Accordingly, Parliamentary Counsel will undertake to have Bills drafted for the first 10 Members drawn by the opening of session. These 10 Bills will have to be finalized by Friday, April 11. Parliamentary Counsel will endeavour to have the next 10 Bills drafted by May 30. After the "top 20" are drafted the other Private Members Bills will be drafted.

The critical word here is "drafted". The Bill that I would like to introduce - I understand it wouldn't be debated - is one that has been introduced by the late Grant Notley several times, by Ray Martin several times, by Tom Sigurdson several times, and by Barry Chivers several times. The version of the Bill that I wish to introduce was introduced in that exact form by Barry Chivers between 1990 and 1993. It is identical, and in fact I worked on one of the first versions of that Bill when I was a researcher here.

I cannot introduce this legislation, which would call for prohibition of replacement workers during strike or lockout, because of a parliamentary tradition which I respect and wish to uphold, and that is that I should not go outside of this Assembly and walk around with a private member's Bill that has not already been introduced. I realize it's an unwritten rule, but it is a rule that I choose to respect because I'm a parliamentarian and people elect 83 of us to respect those rules.

My point is this: after May 30 there wasn't a bunch of other private member's Bills introduced. My Bill is in order. I don't understand why I can't introduce it based upon one memo from the former Speaker. I would like to introduce it. I believe I've got a good case of privilege. It may not be a big deal to anybody else, but it is a big deal to me. I would like to introduce that Bill.

So I ask, Mr. Speaker, that you find a prima facie case of privilege so that we can get this issue dealt with so I can introduce the Bill before the session ends. Thank you.

2:40

THE SPEAKER: Well, hon. member, until earlier this morning I had received no correspondence from the hon. member with respect to this matter, so having the hon. member now raise it today, the Speaker will take it under advisement and report back to the House, presumably by early next week, Monday at the earliest.

Monday, June 16, 19971:30 p.m.

MS BARRETT: Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased to introduce yet another petition asking for the government of Alberta "to introduce legislation that would prevent the use of replacement workers during strike action." They're still coming in. This petition's signed by 60 Albertans.

MS BARRETT: Mr. Speaker, I'd like to file with the Assembly four copies of a draft Bill, Labour Relations Code Amendment Act, 1997, the substance of which would be to initiate action to prevent the use of replacement workers during strike action.

Tuesday, June 10, 1997 1:30 p.m.

2:50 p.m. Labour Relations

DR. PANNU: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Two big Safeway stores are located in my riding of Edmonton-Strathcona. It's therefore personally gratifying to see the 70-day-long dispute come to an end.

While the strike has been settled, the fundamental unfairness of Alberta's labour laws remains. Many underlying broader issues of this dispute need serious examination. This dispute raises questions concerning minimum wage, part-time work, prorated benefits, growing poverty, replacement workers, imbalance of power between employers and employees, and the list goes on.

This dispute reflects the growing tensions in our society. The vision of many employers in this province of an ideal workplace is typified by the Alberta government's human resources strategy. This strategy in effect accepts high levels of unemployment or underemployment; promotes low-wage, low-benefit part-time work; and treats employees as a disposable commodity. Such a strategy, Mr. Speaker, is shortsighted and doomed to fail. The Safeway workers were asking for a fair wage, minimum guaranteed hours, and improved benefits. Safeway pleaded poverty and refused to compensate for earlier employee concessions.

Mr. Speaker, this government's unfair labour laws contributed to prolonging rather than resolving the Safeway dispute. If any one group deserves credit for helping to resolve this dispute, it is the hundreds of thousands of Albertans who voted with their pocketbooks by staying away from the Safeway stores from the beginning to the end of the strike. By staying away from Safeway stores, these Albertans showed that they stood for fairness.

Finally, Mr. Speaker, if the government really intends to promote good labour relations, it must learn some lessons from the strike. It must bring in legislation to prohibit the use of replacement workers. It must provide for prorated benefits. It must raise the minimum wage and continually review it.

Thank you.