Thursday, April 20, 1967 Honourable J. Elmer Blanchard : Mr. Speaker , last evening Just.prior to ad¬ journing the debate I got part way into the part of my speech that dealt with the Labour Management Relations Council, and I have several items along this line to speak on this evening. Many meetings were spent on proving the subject and a sub-committee of three persons was appointed to study the Industrial Relations Act . It has its Chair¬ man Professor Ian Galloway of Prince of Wales College; Mr. Robert Smith the Manager of Maritime Electric Company Limited , Charlottetown , and Mr. Jim Coles of The United Packing House Workers of America. After several months of study and research the Council took a bold step and organized the first Conference on Labour Management Relations on Prince Edward Island . It took place last Thursday and was an overwhelming success; it lasted a whole day and ended with a closing dinner at Basilica Recreation Centre here in Charlottetown . The keynote speaker in the morning was Professor Roy Brookbank of Dalhousie University Institute of Public Affairs, and the guest speaker at the dinner in the evening was Mr. Kenneth P. DeWitt , Assistant Director, Labour Management Consultant Branch , Canada Department of Labour, Ottawa. During the day discussion groups were held and caucuses held by labour and management. This was a history making day for Prince Edward Island , and marked the first time labour and management met on the discussion floor to discuss their respective problems. The Council anticipated an attendance of sixty to sixty-five delegates, but the registration climbed to 167. There were interested delegates attending from New Brunswick , Nova Scotia and Ottawa. The Conference unanimously endorsed a very Important two-point agreement as follows: (1) Both labour and management recognize that employers have the right to operate and manage their business, and that they are entitled to a profit, a quality product, and a good competitive position. (2) It waa agreed that both labour and management recognise the right of workers to organise for collective bargaining, recognize the contribution that organized labour can make to the economy. On the acceptance of these two principles, the roles of labour and management in our economy are now defined and recognized by both groups. This established a basic and fundamental foundation and base of operation from which both groups can build unproved labour management relations. A new era appears to be starting. But it is only a start, and it will take time, patience, tolerance, study and a gradual change of attitude and plenty of nourishment to develop this new approach to industrial peace and prosperity. Skeptics may say that it cant possibly work but I assure you, Mr. Speaker , I saw it work. I had the pleasure of attending the Labour Management Conference sponsored by the Dalhousie University Institute of Public Affairs last fall, and there I saw all levels of labour and management from top to bottom meet in open and frank discussions on problems affecting both ■idea in industry and commerce, and coming to mutually satisfactory conclusions. Of course, these are Labour Management Conferences that have been going on for five years and they are at an advanced stage of development. It has unproved the relations so well in Nova Scotia that there has been a great drop-off in the frequency of strikes, and a similar drop-off in conciliation services and arbitration boards. This is a small province, and this factor, Mr. Speaker , can prove to be an advantage in labour management relations. We have the opportunity to become a model for the rest of . We have the highest hope that thia Conference just past will be the initial start toward that goal. We look forward to the day when labour and management will make a joint submission to government on amendments to labour management legislation rather than, as in the past, when each group made its own group representation. In line with our Department's policy on labour manage¬ ment relatione we have consulted with representatives of both groups or our general policies and legislative proposals. This opportunity gave both groups the chance to discuss the matters and suggest the change, improvements or innovations to our program. All of these were given serious consideration in drafting the legislation or m formulating the policy in its final form. We have consulted with the Fed¬ eration of Labour, the Board of Trade, the Builders' Exchange, the Road Builders' Association, the Canadian Construction Association, the Canadian Manufacturer's —228—