Evidence of meeting #32 for Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities in the 40th Parliament, 3rd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was right.
A recording is available from Parliament.
November 16th, 2010 / 8:50 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair (Ms. Candice Hoeppner (Portage—Lisgar, CPC)) Conservative Candice Bergen
I call to order meeting number 32 of the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities.
Pursuant to the orders of the day, we are continuing to look at Bill C-343, an act to amend the Canada Labour Code and the Employment Insurance Act (family leave).
We will have one witness before us today.
We welcome you and thank you for being here, Mr. Marcel Bolduc. Can you hear us all right?
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Candice Bergen
If you can give us a seven-minute presentation, then we'll have time for one round of questions. If you're ready to begin, please go ahead.
Thank you.
As an Individual
Thank you very much.
I want to start by saying that I am here in a private and individual capacity. I am not here on behalf of any association or in support of any political party. My opinions have nothing at all to do with politics.
I want to say that this is a bill whose time has come. It is long overdue. As you know, it had the support of the chairman of the Association of Families of Persons Assassinated or Disappeared, who is now unfortunately against the bill.
When you experience the kind of tragedy I and a hundred or so others have, your life falls apart. In my case, I lost my business. I was forced to give up the business I was starting. I also went through some personal trouble. I lost my spouse. And all of that happened because when a tragedy of this nature hits, your world is thrown into total disarray, and there is very little assistance to help you through the difficult times.
Even though some provinces, such as Quebec, may have assistance programs for victims of crime, it takes so much effort to access that assistance that doing so is just another burden.
It is important for those who experience these kinds of situations to be able to put the pieces of their life back together and to resume normal life, especially their working life. Do you know that Canada spends nearly $300 a day to keep a single criminal in prison but not even 25¢ to help victims cope after a tragedy?
The bill sponsored by Ms. Bonsant of the Bloc Québécois is a very important piece of legislation, in my view, because it gives victims the opportunity to stop working and to seek out helpful resources, without having to worry about going back to work and dealing with everything they are struggling with at the same time.
When it happened to me, I was working with the public. As someone who was already known to the public at the time because of my social involvement, I definitely had a hard time because whenever I saw someone, I was forced to relive the tragedy. So it became extremely tough to cope. I even had to leave Sherbrooke at one point, for seven years, which helped me get my life back on track. It took five years after the tragedy before I was able to do that. So I spent all that time dealing with the challenges of putting my life back together and achieving enough peace of mind to participate in society and, above all, to be productive at work.
This bill could, at the very least, help the families of murder victims get their lives back on track and start contributing to society once again. And, at the end of the day, that is a lot more beneficial than someone who ceases to contribute and who needs help on top of that, to deal with the challenges that result from such a tragedy.
It is my hope that the government will carefully consider passing this bill, which seeks to keep those affected by these tragedies in the workforce.
I also want to point out how unfortunate it is that the government is spending so much on the industry of death: warplanes, helicopters and so forth. It wants to do away with the Canadian Firearms Registry. Such measures are deeply offensive to victims.
Obviously, bills are commonly used to get voter support come election time. Increasing jail time for criminals is certainly very popular. Of course, that makes victims happy, but how does it help them cope with their situation? How do you think longer jail terms will necessarily help victims reintegrate into society as contributing members?
That is basically what I wanted to say.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Candice Bergen
Thank you very much for that.
We will now begin with a round of questions. We'll have time for a five-minute question from each of the parties, beginning with the Liberals.
Does anyone have a question?
Liberal
Maria Minna Liberal Beaches—East York, ON
I understand the importance of looking after victims and families. It's not that different from some of the things we have just announced with respect to caregiving. This goes to a different aspect of a family's crisis.
I just wondered if you could tell me very briefly--this is really the only question I have, because I think the bill is going in the right direction—why the bill asks for different lengths of time. There are different timelines for different situations, whether they involve a child or a husband. Maybe you could explain that a little bit more.
As an Individual
It is hard to say how much time every person would need, because everyone is different. What is important is that when the person does not have to go back to work right away, they can seek out resources. And those resources can go a long way towards helping the person re-enter the workforce.
The timeframe can certainly vary. One person may be able to deal with the brunt of the shock in a few weeks or months. So the period needs to be long enough to give people the opportunity to put their life back in order and re-integrate into the workforce.
Liberal
Maria Minna Liberal Beaches—East York, ON
Thank you very much.
The other question was very simple. I know why, but I just want to ask. Maybe I should ask the proponent of the bill this rather than you, but why did you choose to go through the EI section, as opposed to say having a separate victims' bill that would not so much go through the Employment Insurance Act? I'm just curious about that one.
That is probably for the proponent of the bill. Is it okay to ask...? No?
Liberal
As an Individual
My comment on that is simple. Ms. Bonsant's bill fills a total void in terms of any measures or suggestions from the government. If you have any better ideas, put them on the table and, above all, put them into action as quickly as possible. That is what is necessary.
Conservative
Bloc
France Bonsant Bloc Compton—Stanstead, QC
Good morning, Mr. Bolduc. Thank you for being here. I know that, even after all these years, this could not have been easy for you to talk about.
Would this bill, as it stands today, have been helpful to you when your daughter disappeared?
As an Individual
Yes, it definitely would have helped. I had to go back to work a few days after my daughter's body was found, just to make ends meet. If I could have stopped working back then, I may have been able to access resources. When you have to keep working, it is very hard to access resources and to continue receiving the support you need to help you get your life back on track. I think it is important to take time off so the measure is effective in helping you rebuild your life.
Bloc
France Bonsant Bloc Compton—Stanstead, QC
So you are saying that it still would have been difficult to cope, but at least you would have had the option to stay home and receive financial assistance to help you through it all, without having to worry about paying the electricity bill, which does not stop coming.
As an Individual
Yes, but it is not just the whole idea of staying home, but also being able to seek out resources right away. For me, it is not about staying home, but about continuing to contribute to society and wanting to put your life back together in order to do that. That is important, because tomorrow still comes for a victim's family, and it is that tomorrow we need to look after.
Bloc
France Bonsant Bloc Compton—Stanstead, QC
When I talked about staying home, what I meant was having the ability to not go back to work and to do things without having to agonize over paying the bills. They would still get the money, which would help them through the tough times.
In your opinion, what percentage of crime victims described in the bill would exercise their right to receive employment insurance benefits?
As an Individual
Clearly, it would not be 100% of the people affected. It could be less than 50%. Some people are not badly off. It is not just low-income individuals who are affected by these crimes. They also affect the wealthy, who have an easier time sorting out their finances. The financial aspect is not an issue for them.
Bloc
France Bonsant Bloc Compton—Stanstead, QC
I wanted to give people the choice. I, too, lost a niece as a result of a car accident. My sister-in-law had the option to stay home or go back to work. But not everyone has that choice. I know that you agree in that regard.
Would you agree that the bill gives people the option to either continue working or take time off?
As an Individual
Absolutely. This bill is necessary because it ensures people are well protected. As you said, some people do not need it, but others do, and it will enable them to put their lives back in order. As you know, events like these destroy people. My daughter will have been gone 15 years next summer, but I still go through tough times. I run into people in the street who say they recognize me. They think about it for a few minutes and rehash the whole experience. You relive the nightmare when that happens. So you have to be ready for that.
Bloc
France Bonsant Bloc Compton—Stanstead, QC
Mr. Bolduc, my colleague, Mr. Lessard, would like to ask you something.