Christiane Gagnon

[Illegal Dismissal, June 14th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, how can the Minister of Justice explain that a seriously ill woman who has two children and was dismissed illegally must use all her resources and all her energy in court for eight years to obtain justice?

[Illegal Dismissal, June 14th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Justice. On April 20, the Federal Court rendered a decision on Ms. Pitawanakwat's case. She was dismissed by the former Department of the Secretary of State in March 1986. The court concluded that her dismissal was illegal and due only to racial discrimination against this native woman. Despite this victory and eight years of legal proceedings, the government still refuses to reach a negotiated settlement on the amount of compensation, among other things.

Can the Minister of Justice tell us if he intends to settle with Mary Pitawanakwat before the deadline of June 17 set by the parties for reaching an agreement?

[Status Of Women, June 13th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, I wish to ask a supplementary question. How can the Secretary of State for the Status of Women claim to be helping groups when many of them have to lay off their employees because of the government's negligence on this issue?

[Status Of Women, June 13th, 1994]

My question is for the Secretary of State for the Status of Women. In answer to a question raised last Monday about grants to women's groups in Canada and Quebec, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Human Resources Development said that delays in granting the subsidy to the Quebec women's federation were due to their evaluation reports being late.

A representative of the federation said this morning that all women's groups in Canada are still waiting for their grants.

Can the Secretary of State for the Status of Women tell us when the $9 million in grants will be paid to the organizations that look after the interests of women in Canada and Quebec?

[Status Of Women, June 8th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, the percentage of women in the labour force has been decreasing since 1990. Women between 15 and 24 are the main victims. The Minister of Human Resources Development claims that his Youth Service Corps will help turn the situation around by allowing participants to spend $2,000 on child care when this money has already been earmarked for other purposes.

This measure discriminates against women since it is primarily women who have custody of children and nearly 60 per cent of these women live below the poverty line. Without a specific program to help them find jobs or go back to school, these women will not be able to get out of this intolerable situation. What is the government waiting for when it should be formulating a job-creation policy that takes these women's reality into account?

[Fédération Des Femmes Du Québec, June 6th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, will the Deputy Prime Minister recognize that the delay in the payment of the federal grant jeopardizes the operation of these women groups, including the Fédération des femmes du Québec , whose line of credit request was turned down by a financial institution?

[Fédération Des Femmes Du Québec, June 6th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, my question is directed to the Deputy Prime Minister. The chairperson of the Fédération des femmes du Québec has sounded the alarm about the situation of women groups in Canada. These groups have not yet received the $9 million grant they were promised.

Will the Deputy Prime Minister see to it that her government fulfils its commitment and grant $9 million to the various organizations which protect the interests of Canadian and Quebec women?

[Employment Equity, June 2nd, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, my supplementary question is also for the Minister of Finance. Will the minister recognize that the infrastructure program, the only concrete job creation measure put forward by his government, provides very few opportunities for women in view of the nature of the work involved?

[Employment Equity, June 2nd, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Finance. A study made public yesterday by Statistics Canada shows that women in particular are hard hit by the recession. The drop in labour force attachment of women which has been observed since the beginning of the recession is reversing historical trends. Women between 15 and 24 years of age are the main victims of this recent decline in the female labour force.

Does the Minister of Finance recognize that women, and young women in particular, are being hit harder than anyone else by the current economic difficulties and does he intend to put in place a real job creation strategy that will benefit women as well?

[National Defence, May 30th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, is the Minister of National Defence in a position to appraise the new complaint process in use since last year and tell us how it was perceived by the women in the Canadian Armed Forces?