Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
My colleague Mr. D'Amours was referring to the day care situation. In my example, I was talking about a couple. Things are more complicated when it is a single parent. The message you are sending here this morning is important to us for two reasons: first, because it increases our knowledge of the situation, and second, because it helps make the current government aware of what groups have been experiencing since the recent cuts were applied. I believe the situation is quite dramatic for some people. In that regard, I agree completely with Mr. D'Amours.
Let us now get back to how we can help women and the disabled re-enter the labour market. I am not making a connection between the problems experienced by any of these groups, but in terms of labour market entry or re-entry, the problem can be similar in many cases, especially if it is a woman looking to go back to work after staying home to raise her children. Readjusting to the work world is often a difficult thing to do.
I am going to very briefly describe an experience I had in one community in Quebec. A sawmill was opened, and the decision was made to hire people who were long-time social assistance recipients; some had been on welfare for 10 years. These people were perfectly able to work and had all their faculties. Gradually and systematically, they were brought back to the labour force. It took them years to readjust. Some of them took two or three years, while others were never able to make the transition.
You made three statements. First, concerning employer training, am I correct in saying that it is important to make more of an effort to ensure that employers understand the nature of an employee’s handicap and define types of handicap in a work adjustment context? With regard to re-entry, I would like to know how, in your opinion, it can succeed. It seems to me that that is the biggest obstacle.