From the Toronto Star:

Federal Labour Minister Joe Fontana is stepping up efforts to get talks restarted in the 10-day-old CBC lockout, which has become a simmering issue at this summer's Liberal caucus retreat in Regina.

"All work stoppages are frustrating but that's the nature of the collective bargaining process," Fontana said yesterday, after conversations with management and union representatives from the CBC.

"I'm hopeful and I would want to urge both parties to come back to the table. My mediators are standing by. There's no reason why they can't be sitting at the table, discussing a number of issues."

For now, he says, he would be happy if he could just get the two sides in his office for a casual chat or coffee, as a way to kick-start abandoned negotiations.

Ontario's caucus chair, MP Sarmite Bulte (Parkdale) and MP Marlene Catterall (Ottawa West-Nepean) stopped by a CBC information picket in Regina yesterday to talk to the workers.

About 5,500 journalists and technicians with CBC have been locked out since Aug. 15, largely because management wants to hire more short-term staff.

Catterall predicted the lockout would be a big issue when caucus meets behind closed doors today. MPs are upset about the suspension of service and the quality of programming, much of it endless reruns or BBC news broadcasts, now filling the airwaves of the state broadcaster.

"People feel that CBC is very important to the Canadian national identity and having our voices coast to coast to coast. It's just the standard for broadcasting in this country," Catterall said.