Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to question the statements made by the member to the House. I suspect he might have selectively read from the reform, rather than reading it from one end to the other.
The hon. member asked a question about the whole issue of incentives for employment and for job creation. He indicated in his speech that he could not see any incentives. I want to ask him about that because I have difficulty understanding that he read this document.
I see items such as $800 million being put into specific programs to encourage employment. I look at wage subsidies to encourage employers to hire people, particularly those who need to be trained. I look at earning supplements to top up wages to encourage people to get back into the workforce rather than having to collect benefits.
The hon. member talked about the self-employment initiative program. That was in UI. It continues to be in the UI reform. It is an excellent program which is going to create a lot of employment. The hon. member suggested that people would not be able to use it because they would not be able to get onto the program. In fact, half a million people who were not eligible for the program because they were part time workers are now going to be eligible for the program.
The member keeps going on that there are no incentives. People are going to be rewarded for every hour they work and for every effort they make. The benefits are based on hours worked, not on weeks. A whole series of things in this reform encourage people to
work. It gives them the incentive to work. It gives them financial support to work.
The hon. member totally ignores those things. He fails to look at those parts of the employment insurance reform which will result in opportunities for people to get a job. The fact is that this is all taking place within a financial context which he totally wants to ignore. He will not look at those things.
My question to the hon. member is very specific. Why do you ignore those things in the UI reform? Why do you ignore the $800 million which is being added to the $1.9 billion that already exists to create employment not only in English Canada but in your province of Quebec as well? Why are you ignoring those things? Why will you not talk about those things? Why will you not admit-