Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Finance and Minister responsible for the Federal Office of Regional Development in Quebec.
Yesterday, officials from Opération Dignité 2, an organization which promotes regional economic development, appealed to the government for help. They are asking the government to postpone the UI reform for one year, as it will severely affect regions with a high proportion of seasonal workers, in Quebec as well as in other provinces.
Given the disastrous impact of this reform on the economy of predominantly rural regions, will the minister pledge to delay for one year the UI cuts announced in the budget, and actually do it?