Madam Speaker, my Liberal colleague from Ontario, the hon. member for Stoney Creek, is showing no compassion for the people of Canada, all Canadians, and low income earners in particular.
Witness his allusion to the Minister of Finance stating, in his economic statement last week, that a $10 billion shortfall was discovered. I can tell you where this missing money can be found: in the employment insurance surplus, a plan whose premium rates are clearly too high. Unemployed workers who show up at the EI office to claim what paying these high premiums entitles them to are often told they are short a few hours—since the new system counts hours—to qualify.
The benefit period for those who qualify was also reduced. In short, premium rates are sky high, there are fewer eligible claimants and benefits are paid over a shorter period. This is how we end up with the $12 billion projected surplus for the year ending March 31.
The Minister of Finance also lacks compassion. Here is further evidence: a millionaire, who registers his ships in countries described as tax havens to be able to hire crews that do not fall under Canadian jurisdiction and to pay them less as well as to avoid paying taxes here, in Canada, that is who we have as a Minister of Finance.
In my riding, in Black Lake to be specific, LAB Chrysotile is set to close down an asbestos mine, the BC mine, BC standing for British Canadian, in the next seven or eight days. This closure will result in the laying off of 300 mine workers, more than 200 of whom are over 50. That is tragic.
The Minister of Human Resources Development happens to be the one who, on April 1, slashed the Program for Older Worker Adjustment, or POWA. Over 200 workers would have been eligible under POWA. But the minister destroyed a program that worked well and served as a safety mechanism in many cases. The program was not perfect of course, but it was a safety mechanism.
People in the riding of Frontenac—Mégantic want to see the minister. Strangely enough, he is no longer available. Yet, between April 27 and June 2, he visited the region three times and twice came to the riding of Frontenac—Mégantic. But now, it is impossible to talk to him. He is silent as the grave. The minister shows no sign of compassion toward these workers.
Earlier, the member for Stoney Creek showed us, with his speech, that he does not know either what it is like for a family to live on an income of $25,000. He brags that the unemployment rate has gone down. He should visit the regions. He should get out of his riding. He should urge his human resources minister to show that in his chest is a real beating heart and not a stone.