Debates of March 10th, 1998
House of Commons Hansard #70 of the 36th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was budget}.
Topics
- Points Of Order
- Government Response To Petitions
- Committees Of The House
- Petitions
- Questions On The Order Paper
- House Of Commons
- Business Of The House
- House Of Commons
- The Budget
- Soulpepper Theatre Company
- Criminal Code
- Winter Olympics
- Canada-Ireland Interparliamentary Friendship Group
- Paralympics
- Canadian Armed Forces
- Salima Ghezali
- Gun Control
- Association Féminine D'Éducation Et D'Action Sociale Du Québec
- Infrastructure
- The Senate
- Member For Edmonton North
- The Senate
- Quebec Flag
- Royal Canadian Mounted Police
- Investments In Canada
- Cuba
- Employment Insurance
- Health
- Kosovo
- Health
- Decriminalization Of Marijuana
- Research And Development
- Disabilities
- Highways
- Fisheries
- Immigration
- Shipping
- Employment Insurance
- Canadian Armed Forces
- Status Of Women
- Seniors' Benefit
- Health Care
- Presence In Gallery
- Points Of Order
- The Budget
- Business Of The House
- The Budget
- Division No. 97
- House Of Commons
- Division No. 98
- Division No. 99
- The Economy
Cuba
Oral Question Period
2:15 p.m.
Calgary Southwest
Alberta
Reform
Preston Manning Leader of the Opposition
Mr. Speaker, Cuba has no freedom of the press, no real political freedoms and Castro throws his political opponents in jail. But this prominent Liberal MP whose views could be construed as those of the House or the government denied that human rights in Cuba were a problem, saying it was an internal matter that we should not criticize. He said that Castro's jailed political opponents were just so-called political prisoners—
Cuba
Oral Question Period
2:15 p.m.
Some hon. members
Oh, oh.
Cuba
Oral Question Period
2:15 p.m.
The Speaker
In the preamble of the question, although no member was mentioned, I find that any statements made by the Speaker do not fall under the administrative responsibility of the government. I had asked the hon. member to please be judicious in his words and I will pass on. The hon. member for Fraser Valley.
Cuba
Oral Question Period
2:15 p.m.
Some hon. members
Hear, hear.
Cuba
Oral Question Period
2:15 p.m.
Reform
Chuck Strahl Fraser Valley, BC
Mr. Speaker, today Canada hosts U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, a representative of one of our closest allies and our strongest economic partner. She is here to discuss issues of mutual concern including human rights issues. So imagine our surprise to wake up this morning to see the headlines in our national newspaper that scream out outrageously “Speaker lauds Cuban democracy”.
What is the Prime Minister—
Cuba
Oral Question Period
2:15 p.m.
The Speaker
The hon. member for Laurier—Sainte-Marie.
Employment Insurance
Oral Question Period
March 10th, 1998 / 2:20 p.m.
Bloc
Gilles Duceppe Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC
Mr. Speaker, on March 4, in Rivière-du-Loup, the Minister of Human Resources Development acknowledged that an employment insurance plan covering only 42% of unemployed workers was inadequate.
According to Mr. Fortin's study, not only is the plan inadequate, but it encourages people to leave the labour market and go on welfare.
Will the minister acknowledge that a very high proportion of the 58% of unemployed workers excluded from his plan have no choice but to turn to welfare?
Employment Insurance
Oral Question Period
2:20 p.m.
Papineau—Saint-Denis
Québec
Liberal
Pierre Pettigrew Minister of Human Resources Development
Mr. Speaker, as I said yesterday in this House, I am delighted that the number of people on welfare in Quebec is at its lowest in the past five years.
This is certainly the result of the economic reforms in this country, which have led to improved growth in the labour market. Because we have a dynamic market and we have corrected certain systems that were operating very badly, our economy is running better.
Employment Insurance
Oral Question Period
2:20 p.m.
Bloc
Gilles Duceppe Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC
Mr. Speaker, while the number of welfare cases has dropped in Quebec, the minister neglected to say that it would have dropped even more had it not been for his plan, because people no longer entitled to unemployment insurance end up on welfare. This was eloquently demonstrated by Professor Fortin.
Does the minister, who is always talking about his active measures, realize that the measures he is proposing have contributed to reducing participation in the job market to its lowest point in 50 years because people are hesitant to take jobs that are too precarious? They know that they will no longer be entitled to employment insurance and so they turn to welfare. That is the reality, not what the minister's technocrats see.
Employment Insurance
Oral Question Period
2:20 p.m.
Papineau—Saint-Denis
Québec
Liberal
Pierre Pettigrew Minister of Human Resources Development
Mr. Speaker, I find it staggering that the government is being criticized for the additional million jobs in Canada we now have. This means our economy is running smoothly.
Second, people on welfare in fact do have the opportunity to benefit from active measures, because we broadened access to these measures, as people, whether they be on welfare when they qualify or on employment insurance when they are unemployed, want active measures to be able to return to the labour market.
Employment Insurance
Oral Question Period
2:20 p.m.
Bloc
Paul Crête Kamouraska—Rivière-Du-Loup—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC
Mr. Speaker, yesterday the minister was patting himself on the back for having made it possible, through his so-called reform, for 450,000 more women to have the pleasure of contributing to employment insurance.
The real question, however, is this: Does the minister admit that, according to his own department's estimates, only 10% of these 450,000 women contributors will one day have any hope of gaining access to EI benefits?
Employment Insurance
Oral Question Period
2:20 p.m.
Papineau—Saint-Denis
Québec
Liberal
Pierre Pettigrew Minister of Human Resources Development
Mr. Speaker, the improvements we have made to the employment insurance system met the aspirations of women, who are far more likely to be part-time workers.
What we are pleased to have accomplished is that people can now accumulate hours worked, sometimes in two or three different jobs, so that they are insured, where they were not in the past.
Employment Insurance
Oral Question Period
2:20 p.m.
Bloc
Paul Crête Kamouraska—Rivière-Du-Loup—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC
Mr. Speaker, a mistake has to be acknowledged before it can be corrected. The minister's problem is that he is determined to deny the evidence.
How can the minister continue to defend his reform, when it is clear that far fewer unemployed people will draw benefits than in the past, that a large number of them will have no choice but to go on welfare, and that Ottawa will save billions of dollars yearly at their expense, as a result of this reform?
Employment Insurance
Oral Question Period
2:20 p.m.
Papineau—Saint-Denis
Québec
Liberal
Pierre Pettigrew Minister of Human Resources Development
Mr. Speaker, we are greatly concerned by the fact that participation in the employment insurance system has dropped, and I have acknowledged this in the House on numerous occasions.
This is something we need to understand more thoroughly before decisions are made, because that is how we operate. We need to understand why this drop has occurred, before we can find an effective solution to the problem.
Employment Insurance
Oral Question Period
2:20 p.m.
Bloc
