No, indeed, this is not new. This sector is undergoing a structural crisis, but the economic crisis has doubled the difficulties experienced by this industry. That is why we are also asking for improvements to the EI program for these workers, but also for others. It is great to extend the EI program by five weeks, but individuals who are not eligible for EI will not be able to get those extra weeks. We also want to help older workers because there are a lot of them who will not be able to find a job, despite the fact that some positive measures are being implemented. So, we need to find a way to allow them to make ends meet until they retire.
On February 23rd, 2009. See this statement in context.