Minister Raitt's message to the public Subject: Labour Program - Gatineau, Quebec April 2010
Hello, I am honoured, as Minister of Labour, to be responsible for a Ministry
whose mandate is focused on fostering healthy, innovative and productive workplaces,
as well as cooperative workplace relations.
The Government of Canada is completing year two of Canada's Economic Action Plan.
Through the Economic Action Plan, our Government
took decisive steps to protect incomes, create jobs,
ease credit markets and help workers and communities get back on their feet.
Canada's continuing economic prosperity depends on competitive workplaces.
This means promoting workplaces and promoting injury prevention,
employment equity and dispute resolution.
When these factors work well, motivation, improvement and productivity are high.
Through the Labour Program, the Government of Canada develops
and administers legislation that governs federally regulated workplaces.
These sectors include inter-provincial and international transportation,
telecommunications and broadcasting, banks and federal Crown corporations.
We help employers and unions resolve disputes
and reach collective agreements without a strike or lockout.
We promote safety on the job and respect for labour standards
and we diligently investigate complaints of violations.
We encourage workplace diversity and collaborate with
provincial and territorial departments of labour on issues of shared concern.
We also offer dispute resolution services to employers
and unions that have helped to settle nine out of ten
collective bargaining disputes without a work stoppage
and we play a key role in advancing international agreements by
by negotiating Labour Cooperation Agreements with Canada's free trade partners.
Canadians spend a majority of their waking hours at work.
Therefore, healthy, fair and inclusive workplaces are central
to a productive and innovative economy.
Canadian workplaces should reflect our society while ensuring that
all the talents of our workers are not only fostered, but encouraged.
Canada has moved quickly into the 21st century,
and our workplaces are also expanding and developing in unexpected ways.
Working closely with employers, unions, provincial and territorial colleagues
and international partners, we will continue to find innovative ways to provide
support to Canadians and help build healthy, dynamic work environments,
and advance Canadian values and fair labour practices on the global stage.
In doing so, we will contribute to the economic success of the country
and help set the stage for a prosperous future.
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