Madam Speaker, I rise today to express my support for the motion moved by the member for Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup—Témiscouata—Les Basques, castigating the government:
—for the catastrophic effects of its reforms to unemployment insurance; for having taken over funds destined for unemployed persons; and for its inability to adapt the unemployment insurance system to the new realities of the labour market, particularly where young people, women, and self-employed persons are concerned.
The EI reforms are proof that the Liberal government is not listening to the Canadian people. Overly stringent eligibility criteria have condemned thousands of unemployed workers to poverty.
My colleague across the way boasted that now a woman working 14 hours in an industry qualifies for EI. But he kept quiet about the fact that fewer than 40% of workers are now eligible. That was not mentioned.
He did not mention that my predecessor, Doug Young, won the election by saying that the changes made by the Conservatives had been a disaster for New Brunswick. Today, New Brunswick's premier, Camille Thériault, says that the province lost over $125 million annually.
The Liberals proudly tell us that they do want to encourage young people to go on EI. The fact of the matter is that, instead of EI, the young people in my region are now turning to welfare, with benefits at $200 a month. That is the reality in my riding.
Countless times, I have invited the Minister of Human Resources Development to come and see our young people. He has always declined. Over and over, New Brunswick's Liberal ministers, Camille H. Thériault, Jean-Camille DeGrâce and Bernard Thériault, have denounced the federal government for taking money out of workers' pockets. They are all from the same party, all Liberals.
Overly tough EI eligibility criteria have driven thousands of workers into poverty. Fewer than 40% of this country's unemployed workers are drawing benefits right now. This means that, in April 1998, almost 780,000 unemployed workers were denied access to their own program. It is there for them, not to help the Minister of Finance pay down the debt. He has no claim on it whatsoever.
I was sorry this morning when I realized that the Liberal member from PEI still has not got the message from Atlantic Canada; he may be the next one to be shown the door, because in Nova Scotia they got rid of all the Liberals, while in New Brunswick they dumped some senior ministers such as Doug Young.
The Liberals must see the reality that prevails in the Atlantic provinces, the Gaspé Peninsula, northern Manitoba, northern Ontario and northern Alberta. They must see what is really going on in the country. We have a job problem. The government will not solve it by punishing families.
When the Liberals were canvassing during the election campaign, they did not tell people “We will make families suffer”. This is not what they said. Perhaps the members opposite who are laughing do so because they do not have in their ridings people who are starving and who shoot themselves in the head. They say we must not scare people. But this is what goes on in our ridings.
The Liberals may laugh all they want, but this is the reality they created in this country. They took a measure which they had opposed when the Conservatives were in office. Indeed, when the Conservatives formed the government, the Liberals were telling Canadians from coast to coast that all these changes to the employment insurance program would be disastrous for workers. Now, they have the nerve to come and tell the public “We are lowering the debt”.
The member referred to the 400,000 people who got help, but there are 780,000 who no longer qualify. How can he have the nerve to rise in this House and say such things? This is absolutely shameful.
Some workers are being told “We will take money out of your contributions so that when you do not have a job, you can get one”. Then, there are employers who fire employees for absolutely no reason and these employees do not qualify for employment insurance even though they have contributed for years. How can the hon. member claim that this is a good program?
How can the Liberal member from Prince Edward Island, in Atlantic Canada, dare talk the way he did this morning? This is truly shameful. He should pack his things and go home. I am convinced he will when the next election is held. People in Atlantic Canada and in Kapuskasing who elected Liberals will not forget. Their problems are the same. Nobody is begging not to work.
In my own area, companies that set up shop and needed, say, 200 workers got thousands of applications. How can the government turn around and suggest employment insurance makes people dependent? How dare it say things like that?
It really is a shame that the government should take the workers' money through the back door to pay down the debt. It should be ashamed to use their money to balance the budget. This is shameful. And the only thing our Reform Party friends can think of is lowering the contributions.
I have never seen workers take to the streets to demand lower contributions. But I did see workers, unemployed people along with priests and bishops in the streets condemning the federal government because what it is doing is wrong. I did see the whole community in the streets during the election campaign, on May 2, 1997, when 5,000 people stood in front of the UI office in Bathurst with priests and bishops with them.
We even had priests telling the faithful in their churches they should participate in these demonstrations because it was their duty and our families are suffering. These demonstrations did occur. What the federal government is doing with the employment insurance is shameful and totally unacceptable. And then it has the gall to tell us the opposition is short of ideas and is not talking about jobs.
I keep talking about jobs every day. I keep telling the federal government, which is responsible for this, that we should keep our fish and process and reprocess it ourselves. I keep saying that we should process and reprocess our wood locally. Every day I say that we should process and reprocess our blueberries, to make jams or other products.
As long as I am in this House, I will not accept without raising my voice that the government should steal money from workers to pay for the national debt and to balance the budget. I will never do so. I challenge any Liberal member in this House to stand and say how nice the government is toward workers. This is a real shame.
The Liberals do not even deserve to be here. They were elected by human beings to whom they cause hardship every day: women, children, fathers, entire families are suffering. The Liberals should be ashamed and should not even stand to ask questions, because they have doomed Canadians to poverty. This is what they have done. My colleague from Prince Edward Island should be ashamed of the way he talked today. He certainly does not know where his roots are.