Mr. Speaker, I am very happy to have once again the opportunity to speak to Bill C-12, more specifically to Motion No. 4, which would delete clause 2 in this bill in its entirety. This clause contains a number of definitions that shed new light on the intentions and the hidden face of this government.
As the small-minded manager it is, this government intends to resort to drastic measures to put its fiscal house in order. This bill shows all the prejudices stirred up by this government against those in financial trouble, those who have just lost their jobs. They want to use affidavits as defined in the bill: "`Affidavit' means an affidavit sworn or affirmed before a commissioner of oaths or any other person authorized to take affidavits".
This shows the kind of attitude behind this eminently dreadful bill. It also tells us about the means this government intends to use to discourage those who want to prevail themselves of something they paid for, unemployment insurance. Clause 2(3) shows its intention to use modern means of communications, and I quote:
(3) A document or other communication under this act or the regulations may be in electronic form and a reference in this act or the regulations to a form, record, book, notice, request, demand, decision or any other document includes a document in electronic form.
Those who watched oral question period saw what can happen with electronic means. We can see it today in the problems with guaranteed income supplement. We know that this government is set to install computer terminals across the country. We know that the government is about to introduce infocentres. We in the Mauricie region and all of Quebec know something about this.
In his great wisdom, the Prime Minister has decided to establish in his own riding-what a coincidence-an infocentre, thereby taking these services-if one can speak of services-away from regions already receiving them so they could be consolidated in his riding. This brings us, as you will have figured out, to discuss the
implied administrative restructuring within the Department of Human Resources Development.
Let us not forget that this technology is to be used by the Department of Human Resources Development. We all know how impersonal contacts are between a machine and a human being. Such a system leaves something to be desired. Based on first-hand information received from the department, the use of such computerized systems is not giving good results. Still, the government wants to impose such systems on people who are vulnerable, workers who lost their jobs and who may be emotionally affected.
This brings us to discuss the decision to move the employment centre from Trois-Rivières to Shawinigan. The city of Trois-Rivières is the capital of the Mauricie region. Until now, as logic would have it, the regional centre serving the whole region was located there. However, the Prime Minister, in a display of smart thinking and wise leadership, decided to change all that. The questions I put to the minister regarding this issue are on the Order Paper. I am still waiting for answers. There are four of them. I will summarize them quickly.
Was there any recommendation to the minister by public servants or public officials, who can think for themselves and who are not biased, regarding the location of the new regional centre? Yes or no? This is what we want to know.
If a recommendation was made, did the Prime Minister's office or the Privy Council intervene to change that recommendation, along with the decision that should normally have been made by the department following such recommendation?
Were comparative studies made on the advisability of establishing this regional management centre in Shawinigan instead of Trois-Rivières? Was some sort of impact or cost-benefit study done regarding the decision to move from Trois-Rivières to Shawinigan? Were the costs of the move, including relocation costs, to Shawinigan-Sud, taken into account, given that there are no public transportation services between Shawinigan and Shawinigan-Sud, and given the impact of vacating facilities for which, according to sources, the government has a lease running until 1999, and which will remain empty until further notice, again according to sources, particularly in the context of streamlining government operations? This is the sort of measure being applied by this monstrous Department of Human Resources Development, in its attempt to modernize its structure.
Personally, the more I look at this bill, the worse it seems. It is a dreadful bill because it makes culprits out of victims. Let me quote the following sentence we find in the summary of the bill: "This creates a system that better accommodates the variety of work arrangements in today's labour market".
Instead of referring to the variety of work arrangements, it should speak about the insecurity of the labour market these days. The true reality of work is unemployment. They pretend they are improving the situation with a bill making victims the guilty ones. A bill whose climate unfortunately stems from an ideological trend-we must not hide the fact; on the contrary, we must recognize it-a trend called neo-liberalism, a school of thought whereby people are increasingly blamed for their own situation, under the pretence of individual accountability.
The rich get richer, the poor poorer, the middle class is challenged through this type of highly modern, highly generous measure we used to call unemployment insurance. Slowly but surely, we are questioning the fundamental concepts of the collective workings of our society.
The recent comments of the Minister of Industry, with which I agree wholeheartedly, should be proof enough of the seriousness of the situation. I can easily comment on this point because, during my career, I worked with businesses going through such hard times that they had to contemplate massive layoffs. At the time, I would step in on behalf of the Quebec government, and in cooperation with an employee committee, I would try to identify the root causes of the problem and develop a recovery plan, with a view to saving jobs.
What is happening these days? Something quite new, something outrageous and quite immoral in my opinion; imagine a major corporation-in a sector such as banking, the oil industry, forestry or the automobile industry-posting record profits, huge profits, and the same month shamelessly announcing the layoff of thousands of workers due to streamlining and foreign competition. These reasons make sense internally, but in social and collective terms they are indefensible and must be condemned. If the situation is left unchecked, it might eventually trigger social and economic upheaval. It is high time for this country to hold a debate to put public morality back in its rightful place.