December 18, 1978 (30th Parliament, 4th Session)

Mr. Donald J. Johnston (Westmount):

Mr. Speaker, I found this motion interesting and in some respects unusual, coming, as it does, from the hon. member for Don Valley (Mr. Gillies). I do not discard it out of hand because I think there is much merit to some of the points he has made, but I believe the mischief he is trying to correct would not be affected by the adoption of the motion he proposes.
We are considering a motion which essentially excludes the marketplace; it curtails the right of the individual who offers his services to a Crown corporation in an executive capacity to negotiate a level of remuneration which he might expect to receive in the private sector. Under its terms, no man or woman could be hired by the government or by one of its agencies at a higher salary than that paid to the Prime Minister (Mr. Trudeau). I suggest this would place a government in an untenable position and make it impossible to obtain people with the competence we require in, for example, Crown corporations which play an increasingly important role in this
80067-70'/2

December 18, 1978
Compensation
country. It would concern me very much if Air Canada, for instance, could not compete in the marketplace for the skills and talent required to give the people the best service available.