Yes, there is a lot of pride in Alberta, but I have neighbours in Ontario. I have friends in Alberta who taught school for five or six years. They have given of themselves for their education. Today, these people are gone. We are not investing in the children. We are not investing in our future. Its reformatory tactics are disgraceful. Thank goodness, we have a Liberal government, a government that will give people an opportunity to help themselves.
There are many benefits available in part II of the bill to help people help themselves. The former minister for HRD is from the Winnipeg area. I remember at committee being frowned at by a few of my Liberal colleagues and being applauded by some of the Reform Party when I said that there was some abuse in the system.
Finally, I said to the former minister: "If you want the public," this was my humble opinion, "to accept what we were trying to do, I think we should at least acknowledge the abuse". Today, the minister has done that.
From looking at the direct abuse, we are going to be able to take that money and offer it to people who want to help themselves. In all the provinces of this country, 45 per cent of the people who have fallen through the cracks-it can happen-are friends and neighbours of ours to whom it happened. If these people worked one day in the last three years, if they had a work attachment, five days following the birth of a child, they now qualify to access any one of the five tools in part II.
There are the targeted wage subsidies. This is not just subsidized jobs, but on the job training that will make a difference in their lives. It gives people some heart. We will not be cutting at random like the Ontario government will do tomorrow.
There are targeted earning supplements and self-employment programs. As a small business person I have attended some of the classes under HRD that are available since I do not know how long this job will last.
I have seen people attend the classes to get ready to start their own businesses. It has made a difference. Statistics show when a person starts a business usually he or she will employ one more person. We have to give people a chance to help themselves.
There will also be job creation partnerships, skills loans and grants. For my hon. colleagues and friends opposite, yes, the provinces will be able to make the decisions.
I have heard many people talk because of the misinformation out there about this reserve fund being used to pay part of the deficit. As we all know, that is not allowed by law. It will not make any difference to the deficit in the long run. A reserve is a very necessary part of this bill.
The other day the department furnished us with a table that showed the cumulative interest charges. More than $1 billion had to be repaid out of UI premiums because of outstanding deficits between 1991 and 1995. By contrast, twice that amount, $2.3 billion, was repaid following the previous recession in the early eighties. It makes much sense and will create jobs to have a cushion there if there is another recession.
Many witnesses appeared before us. I quote one witness who was among the last 85 to appear. Professor Alice Nakamura, a distinguished doctor in the faculty of business at the University of Alberta, put a lot of work into this bill:
I committed a great deal of time and effort to the Axworthy social security reform task force. Many of those around me told me I was foolish to do that. "Look what happened to previous attempts for reform attempts", I was told. I knew what they were talking about.
This doctor had committed time and effort to the MacDonald royal commission on the development prospects for Canada. She continued:
I was advised that the different political parties and the provinces would not be willing to pass up the opportunities for partisan gains that a UI reform attempt invariably brings.
You have proven wrong all those who told me this reform effort was a waste of time. Bill C-12 tackles serious problems with our present UI program, making use of the best available research about how our labour markets and social programs function. And it is a bill that pays careful attention to the real life problems of transition. It strikes a careful balance between the desperation of people who cannot find enough work and have depended on the income from UI benefits, and the desperation of economic analysts who recognize the threat which trends in our present UI programs pose for our economy and the future employment.
The prospects for these people will be dim, but now there is hope for many people. As the doctor reminded us, she believes future generations will look back on our efforts in deep admiration and gratitude.
Many witnesses from across the country appeared in front of the committee. We heard from unions. They complained. They said we did this wrong and that wrong, that we were going too far. We heard from other social groups that said we were not going far enough, vice versa. This is an excellent piece of Liberal legislation in which we show we have listened to the people, that we care about the people. We are not just looking after people from one province.
That would not be a fair shot to my hon. colleague. I do want to recognize that the members from the Bloc who have sat on our committee for the last two and a half years were there. I saw them burning the midnight oil listening to people in all 10 provinces, two territories and the eastern Arctic with concerns.
There is a third party in the House. I would not say its members were not present at hearings. However, I do not think it is commendable to go on hearings across the country, stay for an hour or so each day, then go on to the street to campaign and hold press conferences. It is very shameful.
With my small business background I spent time looking at this bill. There is really good news. I did many miles on the weekend. I talked to a lot of people. I talked to small business people about the GST. I would like to have seen us go further with the GST but, as the Minister of Finance says, if we do one thing wrong and we waste a dollar we cannot bring the deficit down very steadily as we are doing now.
The interest rate today in Canada is a bargain and is creating jobs. The low interest rate we have today is putting confidence back in the marketplace. Friends of mine have said they would not want to have a business because there is too much paperwork.
After Mr. Harris gets his reformatory budget on the floor tomorrow, I am sure he will start thinking about how he can help the province for the right reasons. Regarding the GST, putting the two taxes together will make for half the paperwork.
This bill does a lot for small businesses. The record of employment, the one page form I spoke about the other day, comes with a 30 page instruction manual on how to fill out the one page. This will not be necessary anymore. There will be straightforward records where the regular payroll records can be followed and put on the sheets to report them; great progress.
No wonder the bill has been endorsed by the chambers of commerce and many business groups across the country. Again, it is unfortunate that members of the parties opposite feel it is their responsibility to take misinformation from this place. For once I would like to see the second party and especially the third party support what is good for the country and for individuals and give these people an opportunity.
With this legislation we are giving people an opportunity to help themselves. What more can we do? People do want to work and take part in the workforce. They want to feel they contribute to their country. This EI bill will make it possible for them.