Thank you for allowing the Centrale des syndicats démocratiques to express its views on the impact that the value of the Canadian dollar is having on the economy, especially in the manufacturing sector in Quebec.
The rise in the dollar since 2002, and in particular its meteoric rise in recent months, has had major consequences on the manufacturing industry in Quebec. More than 120,000 jobs have been lost since 2002. Within the last year alone, more than 36,000 jobs have been lost. We believe that this is due in part to factors other than the rise in the dollar, but that to a large extent these losses can be attributed to the rise in the dollar.
Generally speaking, jobs in the manufacturing sector, at least the ones we know about in Quebec, have been stable, relatively well paying and motivating for people performing them. We have heard that the economy is doing well in macroeconomic terms, that unemployment is low, as is inflation. In short, against this backdrop, we are led to believe that people who lose their jobs in manufacturing could find an equivalent job tomorrow morning.
That is a standard bureaucratic answer, as far as we are concerned. It can perhaps be defended at the macroeconomic level, but it is a completely different story for the men and women affected by this situation. Just look at forestry, textiles and apparel industries. In cities dominated by a single industry like Montmagny or other municipalities in Quebec, when the company closes its doors, people no longer have resources. We are talking about people who have worked for 30 or 35 years for the same employer and for whom, in many cases, it was their first job when they left school. These are people who have devoted their entire lives to the company by working and earning a living in a dignified way, paying their taxes, and who, despite their good will, are left in the lurch overnight.
It is not true to say that these people will be in a position to find a job tomorrow morning. As for jobs in the industry, people talk about the services sector. I don't think that working at Wal-Mart is very motivating. Above all, these jobs do not pay well. Most jobs that are created are atypical, part-time, and unstable. They provide neither adequate income nor sufficient security for people whose are more focused on their needs and of ways of meeting the obligations of their daily lives.
We think that the Canadian government and the provinces must accept Quebec's proposal to hold an emergency meeting to discuss the situation and to suggest a number of initiatives, such as developing measures to encourage research and development, promoting the strategic repositioning of companies in promising areas, or helping to encourage companies to accept the notion of participatory management in the workplace, an approach we firmly believe in. A company that wants to relaunch itself successfully or guarantee its future must work with the people who are doing the job. We believe that given the current climate, people have no incentive to adopt this approach.
We believe that potential solutions do exist. Job creation strategies must be developed, but we must also think about the thousands of men and women who have no hope of finding a new job when their employment insurance benefits run out, owing to the gap between the training and experience they have acquired over the years and what is required of them in the workplace of today. Some of them will have to relocate, leave their communities, or simply face the fact that they do not have the knowledge and skills required to hold down the jobs available in their regions.
We believe that the government must move immediately to establish an income benefit program for older workers. Moreover, the Quebec Government has already indicated its willingness to participate in such a program. All that is missing is for Ottawa to come on board. We believe that Ottawa has the means to take action, and that it must do so urgently so that people can live in dignity.
That is the crux of my presentation. The government should also honour the commitment it made to assist traditional industries like manufacturing and forestry.