Mr. Speaker, Canadians in northern and isolated communities have had it.
While people in southern cities can walk a few blocks to talk to a human resources officer in person, people in rural communities spend literally hours trying to get through on understaffed 1-800 lines that are supposed to give them superior service.
Five CECs were just closed in my riding. Under the new UI rules, people will have to work longer to qualify for fewer benefits, but their questions go unanswered because the phones ring busy.
Desperate pensioners who cannot pay their rent because of lost cheques call my office because all they get is a busy signal on the OAS line. Single mothers struggling to make ends meet cannot get their questions answered because the child tax benefit line is clogged.
In its downsizing wisdom, this government kept upper management and cut the front line workers. Rural Canadians are willing to sacrifice to get us out of debt, but at least hire enough workers to
man the 1-800 lines. Northerners are tired of being left out in the cold.