Mr. Speaker, my eyes really filled with tears listening to the lugubrious comments about seasonally employed workers. Does the hon. member believe that it is fair, right or even decent that low paid people who work the year round and faithfully pay into UIC are the ones who are paying to support extremely highly paid seasonal workers in certain industries?
For example, I think of fallers in the logging industry in British Columbia. It is not uncommon at all for them to pull $300 a day. They work for a few months and then go on pogey. It is the poor worker who is paying for that. A lot of these people are married. Their spouses work the year round so they have double income. That is not reflected in their benefits.
I wonder if he thinks this is fitting and proper. Even in his own province he will find diamond drillers, for example, in Abitibi who make $150 to $200 a day. They work seasonally, go on pogey and have a good time. It is the poor, hard working person flipping hamburgers at McDonald's and paying year round into the fund who is supporting these people.
I would like to hear the hon. member's opinion on that.