Mr. Speaker, the hon. member for Mercier knows better than that because she has been carefully following many of the developments and initiatives we have taken.
Under the existing legislative authority which would simply be ratified in the new bill we have an agreement with the Government of Quebec to provide assistance to older workers who have been displaced from their jobs.
We buy annuities. Last year we helped close to 2,000 workers in Quebec. It simply gives us the authority to purchase those annuities to help those older workers retain some income when they cannot get a job.
It seems the hon. member for Mercier is telling the federal government that we cannot work with the Government of Quebec, we cannot help older workers, we cannot buy annuities and we cannot help people who are displaced from their jobs. It is an advocacy of a do nothing approach to helping people who do not have jobs.