Madam Speaker, before I get into my own comments, I want to commend you on the many interventions you have made on this bill on behalf of the people in Madawaska-Victoria. I did not want that to go unstated.
Every time I get up to speak to this bill and talk about some amendments we have proposed I seem to get distracted. I must admit to being distracted again.
My colleague from Gaspé in putting a question to my colleague from Thunder Bay asked what this bill does for seasonal workers. Very specifically, the bill puts value on their work rather than on their week. Someone who works more than 35 hours a week benefits from this bill. Even the CLC, which has not been an ardent supporter of this piece of legislation from the beginning, acknowledged that.
I am sure the economy in the riding of my colleague is not significantly different from that of the province of New Brunswick.
I am prepared to acknowledge and have acknowledged weaknesses in the bill where they exist. However, I would also expect that we have to acknowledge the existing strengths in the bill.
I believe the member specifically asked whether the government expected to extend the seasons. No. What we need to do is to extend the value of work. People who work 70 hours in a week because they work in a seasonal industry should get the benefit of those 70 hours of work. Those hours of work are very common in the kinds of industries in the communities we represent. With this bill, a 70 hour work week, based on conventional applications of UI, is worth two weeks. It is that simple.
In my own constituency generally the result will be that someone will get in with one and one-half fewer weeks of work because the value will be on hours and they will get as much as two weeks more of benefit. I accept the fact that if someone has not been a part of the labour force it is going to be tougher. However, we have to recognize where the value is.
I have mentioned the value of the shift from weeks to hours. In our case I believe that 85 per cent or 87 per cent of the labour force in the province of New Brunswick works more than 35 hours a week. That speaks to how many people will be advantaged by this.
Another benefit is the low income supplement. Very specifically, if the family income is less than $26,000 the benefits that will go to that family will increase by up to 13 per cent. For a single person that will not happen and I accept that, but let us recognize the strengths in the bill where they exist.
Finally, with the human resources investment fund, people who have not had access to programs before will have access to programs because there is a reach back. I am sure the member for Gaspé knows exactly what I am referring to. In the past, people who were not eligible for benefits were not eligible for the program. Now if someone has been on UI for the past three years or on sickness or maternity in the last five years they will be eligible for employment benefits. That is a significant improvement in the program.
I would like to get back to some of the comments by the member from Edmonton. He spoke of the need for an honest debate. He very nicely positioned himself and his party in terms of this debate. Basically he said if one cannot find work in Cape Breton or northern New Brunswick or in Quebec, move. They should where the work is.
I find that an unacceptable solution. We have a larger obligation than that. I have a lot of respect for the member from Edmonton and we share similar views on many things, but we do not share similar views on that.
He spoke of the need for a national guaranteed income. I have supported that concept for many years. What would he say to those people who say a national guaranteed income will create dependency? Basically they will throw his argument right back at him on that question. I would not throw that argument back at him. I agree with those concepts. I agree we have a larger collective responsibility to each other.
The hon. member referred to the fact that very often people take UI just because they do not like their job. It has been my experience that it is not the case. People on UI would much sooner be contributing premiums than drawing benefits. As an Atlantic Canadian, because from time to time that argument is thrown back at us, I take great exception with the suggestion that people for the most part are on UI as a choice. I do not know of very many people who would not prefer to pay premiums than draw benefits.
There was a reference by the member about water running up hill and something to the effect that there is no point in trying to impose our political will on the natural order of things which would see Canadians move to those places where the jobs are and that is a natural law and cannot be affected. I draw a different analogy.
Essentially what the member was saying was that people are on their own. Basically we have equal opportunity. They can go to school and they can do all of these things. Fundamentally when all is said and done they make their own way in this world.
I see it as the same analogy as throwing a baby off a boat into the ocean as a way of teaching them how to swim. I do not see it that way. I accept the challenge of the member that we should have an honest discussion about this. I am certainly prepared to do that, for that is not the way I see a country proceeding in a civilized way.
There was a reference to the fact that some parts of the country do not have the economic base. They do not have the jobs. They do not have the same economic viability as other parts. The reference was they never have, they do not and they never will. That is not the case.
Our part of the country which right now benefits from these programs at one time had one of the most booming economies in the world. We joined Confederation. Early in Confederation our part of Canada was very affluent, very successful and by being part of the broader country and buying into national policies basically changed our trading patterns from north-south to east-west to help develop the country. Consequently we paid a price for that.
For anyone to suggest somehow we are inherently non-viable, I have a great deal of trouble with that. It is very shortsighted. New Brunswick right now is on a bit of a roll. It is recognized in Canada for getting its act together. Its economy is starting to grow.
However, if the government moves too quickly on these programs it will close down the economies of the region. That is why I felt so strongly that we had to pursue the amendments we were able to accomplish. We cannot close down the economies of our regions by moving too quickly on these programs. That is the reason for the amendments.
I thank those who have contributed to the honest debate.