Evidence of meeting #4 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 billion.
A recording is available from Parliament.
4:50 p.m.
NDP
Yvon Godin NDP Acadie—Bathurst, NB
In our study on this bill, I think it might be a good idea for MPs to travel across the country and meet with unemployed workers, so they can understand what it's like.
4:50 p.m.
Executive Member, Conseil national des chômeurs et chômeuses
You could hear these people tell you about how much they have to struggle between November and April, and sometimes until June. What do you do when you find yourself in a black hole?
4:50 p.m.
NDP
Yvon Godin NDP Acadie—Bathurst, NB
We have been talking about employment insurance premiums. Isn't it insulting for workers to know that there is a $57 billion surplus in the employment insurance fund?
4:50 p.m.
Executive Member, Conseil national des chômeurs et chômeuses
It doesn't matter if you increase the rate of premiums, as long as people can qualify for benefits.
4:50 p.m.
NDP
4:50 p.m.
NDP
Yvon Godin NDP Acadie—Bathurst, NB
When I went to Forestville, employers were in the street with us.
4:50 p.m.
Executive Member, Conseil national des chômeurs et chômeuses
In fact, we have the letters of endorsement Pierre was referring to earlier. Most of them are from employers.
4:50 p.m.
Spokesperson, Conseil national des chômeurs et chômeuses
I could read you an excerpt of the letter from Minister Sam Hamad.
4:50 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Candice Bergen
Excuse me. You just have 20 seconds left, so I don't think there's time for you to read a letter.
4:50 p.m.
NDP
4:50 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Candice Bergen
Excuse me. I'm sorry. Actually, your time is up. We'll go to--
4:50 p.m.
NDP
Yvon Godin NDP Acadie—Bathurst, NB
Maybe my friend on the Conservative side would like to hear that letter.
4:50 p.m.
Conservative
Maurice Vellacott Conservative Saskatoon—Wanuskewin, SK
Thank you, Madam Chair. I know my friend across the way, Mr. Godin, has good questions, but we'll move on to some other ones here, ones that I know he'll be very interested in, because it is difficult when people lose their jobs. It affects everyone in the family. It has effects in the community as well.
I have a question to any of the three witnesses. François might be the first to respond, as a union or syndicate representative.
Yes, it's difficult when people lose jobs. My question to you is simply this: if one of your unionized members unfortunately lost his or her job because of this global recession, and if that person could re-enter the workforce but in a non-unionized job—this is, I know, what Mr. Godin is interested in—would you support that?
François.
4:50 p.m.
Assistant to the Executive Committee, Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN)
Did I understand your question correctly? You would like to ensure that self-employed or part-time workers are more eligible for employment insurance benefits? Was that your question?
4:50 p.m.
Conservative
Maurice Vellacott Conservative Saskatoon—Wanuskewin, SK
No, I'm saying that if one of your unionized members who unfortunately lost his or her job because of the global recession could re-enter the workforce but in a non-unionized job, would you support that?
4:55 p.m.
Assistant to the Executive Committee, Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN)
Absolutely. In fact, sir, people in the union movement who lose their jobs do not have the luxury or the opportunity of saying that they will refuse a job because it is not unionized. People are seeking permanent work that will help them earn their living.
4:55 p.m.
Conservative
Maurice Vellacott Conservative Saskatoon—Wanuskewin, SK
Exactly. You're right. I assumed that you might say that, and we certainly agree there in respect to that, as I think most around this table would.
Then my question in follow-up to that is can you tell us how much your organization spends to help workers directly with things like skills training, job searching, and other activities that help them return to work or transition into a new job or sector? How much money do you spend in respect to that?
François.
4:55 p.m.
Assistant to the Executive Committee, Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN)
I don't want to give figures. There is a great deal of energy and resources invested in helping people re-enter the labour market. We work mainly and a great deal in tandem with Investissement Québec and the Quebec government to help people find work and to help businesses get back on their feet following restructuring when they apply for protection under the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act. So we work very hard.
Indeed, that is what we have just done with AbitibiBowater thanks to a restructuring operation. We reached an agreement. Of course, we modified our working conditions and we think we will be able to see our way clear to helping AbitibiBowater withdraw from protection under this act. We worked with our colleagues from the rest of Canada. Between 8,000 and 10,000 workers were affected by this operation. Actuaries, legal counsel and services of all kinds were provided to us.
4:55 p.m.
Conservative
Maurice Vellacott Conservative Saskatoon—Wanuskewin, SK
Okay. Thank you very much. But you can't give me even rough numbers? Can you get back to us with that, with some numbers in terms of those particular types of things, money spent on skills training, job searching, and other activities that help?
4:55 p.m.
Assistant to the Executive Committee, Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN)
This represents hundreds of thousands of dollars that are invested each year by the Confédération des syndicats nationaux in different programs. Some things cannot be quantified in terms of sums of money. However, the CSN sits on the Commission des partenaires du marché du travail where all training criteria for Quebec are developed. We thus work with government partners and other associations to ensure that training programs adapted to workers are provided.
4:55 p.m.
Conservative
Maurice Vellacott Conservative Saskatoon—Wanuskewin, SK
So you obviously think that investments in training are important. I think you've inferred, and pretty explicitly stated, even, that investments are pretty important. I think you see that common heart; I think the number one priority of our government is jobs. That's kind of the outflow of the budget here, getting Canadians back to work, providing the kind of programs to that end.
What advice, if any, do you have for the government in terms of what should be done at this time to help Canadians get back into the workforce? Do you have specific suggestions for our committee here today in respect to this bill as well? What would be the specific suggestions to get Canadians back in the workforce?
4:55 p.m.
Assistant to the Executive Committee, Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN)
Clearly, this is a two-pronged question.
To answer the part about the fight against poverty, the first thing is to make sure that people can regain their dignity and at least be eligible for employment insurance, because through the benefits they receive, they will be able to take customized training in order to retrain in another area.
The second part of your question concerns job creation. What is needed—and I would say this is the future, at least for the coming years—are sustainable, green and permanent jobs that will help the country emerge from the crisis. We want to see as few as possible part-time and precarious jobs that cause people to jump from job to job and apply for employment insurance benefits. So we want to see the creation of the largest number of permanent jobs possible to allow these people to live a longer and greener life.