Mr. Speaker, I wish to express my concerns about the current restructuring the Department of Human Resources Development is proposing for Erie riding with respect to Canada employment centres.
It is my understanding that staffing at these centres in my riding is to be reduced by approximately 50 per cent, with this personnel to be relocated to larger urban centres in neighbouring ridings. This void is to be filled by the use of computers to be used by a basically computer illiterate clientele. This is not a realistic or practical trade-off.
I respect and compliment the department in its efforts to streamline and reduce costs overall. However with an unemployment rate in the Niagara region at approximately 15 per cent, such cutbacks in our area are inappropriate and unacceptable at this time. The blind slash of the pen must be reviewed.
The problem is further complicated by the lack of a regular public transportation system between the respective communities and the incidence of long distance phone calls at a time when the financial resources of the unemployed are greatly diminished. At a time when our riding needs more support the bureaucrats are dictating less. Bigger is not necessarily better.