I fully understand the concern to ensure that the circumstances do not result in needlessly taking people out of the workforce. I am absolutely convinced that a program can be set up to provide assistance for those who really need it. The forest industry, sawmills and other sectors have large numbers of older workers that often have little education. They are sometimes worn out by a life of performing very difficult work, and cannot retrain in areas that require few skills but a great deal of physical strength. And if we are to be realistic, we have to see that employers are not necessarily eager to hire workers who are 58 or 59 years old.
I am absolutely convinced that, in the current circumstances where companies are closing their doors, the reclassification committees and the know-how developed in professional training programs will make it possible to quickly identify who really needs that help. What's needed is a real income support program, something along the lines of employment insurance, perhaps. That kind of support will not encourage people to remain outside the labour force. For instance, one measure that Quebec unions are agreed upon is a review of the programs after three to five years, to ensure that they are properly targeted. Those are things that can be assessed. Moreover, the programs could be cost-shared. For instance, the former POWA was cost-shared, with 70% of its funding coming from the federal government and 30% from the provinces.
Given the extent of the crisis in the forest industry, Quebec's government has taken some measures to support the workers most severely affected, even though it is not responsible for creating income support programs. It provided a level of assistance similar to the assistance provided by the Régie des rentes du Québec to people who simply cannot work. I feel that extremely appropriate measures could be established. As I have already said, the point is not to take people out of the workforce—we know that Quebec needs workers, and so does the rest of Canada. However, there are circumstances where people simply cannot find work, and if we do not help them, we are condemning them to social assistance and poverty.