Charles Dent

Thank you, Madam Chair. Could I refer the question to the Minister of Transportation, please?

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Yes, please.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Equal Pay Settlement Agreement outlines which groups of jobs are to receive compensation under the settlement, and this agreement is a legal binding document and is sanctioned by the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal. Because the settlement agreement does not contain provisions for any payments to employees who are in class code 7777, therefore, the government cannot make any payments to those individual employees. So there is no effort being made to try and provide payments to those individuals because it is outside the scope of what the order is from...

Thank you, Madam Chair. Could I refer the question to the Minister of Transportation, please?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we’re not experts on treaty in the Department of Education, Culture and Employment and don’t claim to have that expertise. We would expect that it is in the interest of Canada and Canadians to make sure that the cost of education is kept as low as possible, and we would hope that that is looked at. But in terms of defining treaty, it isn’t something that I think this government is in a position to do, and I think that we want to be cautious about getting ourselves into that argument. As I’ve said, we have made sure that we are offering students the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I understand that the equal pay unit has made payments to approximately 80 to 85 percent of the estimated 4,300 former and current unionized employees who would be eligible for these payments. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you. Madam Chair, perhaps we could refer this to the Minister of Transportation, please.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I indicated previously to the Member, we are not about to get back into staff housing, so I can’t commit that we will do anything to provide secure housing for our employees. However, I have committed to work with my colleague, the Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation, and the boards and DEAs throughout the Territories to make sure that there is some understanding of the needs and, therefore, hopefully some ability to respond to those needs as we continue with the second year of the program. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Madam Chair. No, I’m told that the government did not select that space, it was proposed by the developer.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, it’s a clear statement of what the government's intent is, is that it would come in some manner or form from a cost recovery from the users of the airport. Whether that be through landing fees, through lease payments, through airport improvement fees, that itself hasn’t been finalized. But what Cabinet said when they considered this was we don’t have enough money to pay for this unless you can find a way to raise the money. So the Minister has been tasked with looking at different ways to perhaps raise that money. Thank you, Madam Chair.