Debates of Sept. 29th, 1998

Employment Insurance

[The Speaker]

I am sorry to interrupt the hon. minister, but I now give the floor to the hon. leader of the New Democratic Party.

[Alexa McDonough, NDP, Halifax, NS]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Prime Minister.

All workers in this country pay employment insurance premiums. Despite their contributions, however, three out of five unemployed persons do not receive any benefits. Yet the Minister of Finance is drooling at the prospect of getting his hands on a slice of the employment insurance pie.

Before he gets his hands on the whole thing, has this government given even one thought to the Canadians who contributed to this fund and yet are getting nothing from it?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Finance, the Minister of Human Resources Development and myself have said we want a debate on what should be in the next budget. There are all kinds of ideas on this. Some people feel the best thing to do would be to make the fund available to workers and not to employers.

We are going to look at things, we are going to get everyone's opinion, and we are going to find a reasonable solution, as we always do, one that has the interests of workers and of the Canadian economy at heart.

[Alexa McDonough, NDP, Halifax, NS]

Mr. Speaker, 800,000 Canadians who are unemployed in this country today are not receiving any employment insurance benefits. That is because the government has changed the rules to make them ineligible.

The Prime Minister talks about choices, about a debate of what to do with the employment insurance fund but he never talks about reinvesting any of those funds in supporting the unemployed and their families. Is he saying that improving access or improving benefits are not among the choices?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we are having a debate at this time. We want to make sure that the money is used for the interests of the workers.

We have all sorts of programs being discussed to maintain what we have been able to do. We want to carry on helping those who need it most. That has been the policy of this government. We are having a public debate at this time and would like the contribution of her party.

The government will make a decision that will be part of the federal budget next February.

[Elsie Wayne, Progressive Conservative, Saint John, NB]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the finance minister said that this government will not “give up that area of its financial manoeuvring” when asked about the surplus in the EI fund.

The EI fund was not set up to be the finance minister's wriggle room. He is not being asked to give up something that belongs to him. The money in the fund is paid by Canadian workers and employers. That money does not belong to the finance minister or to any member of this government.

When will this government stop treating the EI fund like its personal line of credit and give back a tax break to the employers and the employees?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the leader of the Conservative Party is not interested in having a tax cut for employees only. She is very keen that we give the money to the employers. If we do that, 60% of the money will go to the employers and only 40% will go to the employees. If that is the position of the Conservative Party, fine. We know it prefers to give money to business instead of to employees.

[Elsie Wayne, Progressive Conservative, Saint John, NB]

Mr. Speaker, I want to tell you that I heard here today from the Prime Minister about how the government has created jobs. Let me say that we have never had as high an unemployment rate in the city of Saint John in the last 25 years as we have today.

The Minister of Veterans Affairs, all the merchant navy vets who are on a hunger strike and who want their compensation—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh.

[The Speaker]

The hon. leader of the Conservative Party.

[Elsie Wayne, Progressive Conservative, Saint John, NB]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Veterans Affairs told the members of the merchant navy, who are on a hunger strike and who want fair compensation, “I am not offering anything”. The Minister of Health told the innocent victims of tainted blood that the file was closed.

Is the government now telling Canadian workers that the EI fund is its personal piggy bank, open for taxpayer contributions but closed for payroll taxes?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, perhaps the leader of the Conservative Party should talk to the member of parliament for the city of Saint John about its problem.

The reality is that 1.2 million new jobs have been created since October 1993. The level of unemployment that existed at the time of the Conservative government was 11.4%. Now it is 8.3% and going down.

We will not take the advice of the leader of the Tory party and go back to the good old days of the Tories.

Aboriginal Affairs

[Mike Scott, Reform, Skeena, BC]

Mr. Speaker, on August 24 Leona Freed wrote to the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and the Minister of Health complaining about the sewage system on her reserve. That letter was illegally leaked back to her chief and council and she is facing a lawsuit as a result.

Yesterday—

[The Speaker]

Colleagues, I appeal to you. We are having a tough time hearing the questions and the answers.

The hon. member for Skeena.

[Mike Scott, Reform, Skeena, BC]

Mr. Speaker, on August 24 Leona Freed wrote to the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and the Minister of Health complaining about the sewage system on her reserve. Her letter was illegally leaked to the chief and council and she is facing a potential lawsuit as a result.

Yesterday the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development accused the Minister of Health of leaking that letter. We would like to know from the Minister of Health: Is that true? Did your office leak that letter?

[The Speaker]

Colleagues, please address the Chair when you are asking your questions and giving your answers.

The hon. Minister of Health.

[Allan Rock, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, a letter of August 24 was received by a Health Canada official from Leona Freed complaining about a broken sewer pipe that was apparently draining into a creek. She was worried about it being a health threat and she demanded immediate action.

The Health Canada official, anxious to solve this problem, forwarded a copy of this letter to the tribal council which is responsible for fixing it, and then set to work on getting the problem fixed.

Sending on that letter was not in keeping with protocol. That official has written to Leona Freed to express regret. We have re-circulated the protocol to remind all officials—

[The Speaker]

The hon. member for Skeena.

[Mike Scott, Reform, Skeena, BC]

Mr. Speaker, it is good to see the minister acknowledging wrongdoing.

Given the government's past performance with regard to confidentiality we would like to know: Is the minister aware that this is a breach of privacy? It was found to be so in the spring when the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development violated Bruce Starlight's privacy. What is the government going to do to ensure this does not happen again? We do not want to be back here in six months with the same problem.

[Allan Rock, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, the letter that was sent to the health official was copied to the Reform Party's critic, the member for Skeena. It was also copied to the provincial minister. It was about a leaking sewage pipe. There was nothing on its face to demonstrate confidentiality.

The Health Canada official acted in good faith to get the problem fixed. I have already said that he has expressed regret and we have circulated the protocol.

In the meantime, the problem has been fixed. What we are left with is the Reform Party messing around with this issue.

Employment Insurance

[Michel Gauthier, Bloc, Roberval, QC]

Mr. Speaker, three unemployed individuals in five are no longer entitled to employment insurance benefits. In Canada now only one young unemployed young person in four is entitled to benefits. The employment insurance reform is a catastrophe.

After we thought we had hit the bottom of the barrel with Doug Young, we now realize that things are worse than ever for the unemployed.

Given the responsibilities of the Minister of Human Resources Development under the Employment Insurance Act, will he expressly oppose any change to the law?

[Pierre Pettigrew, Liberal, Minister of Human Resources Development]

Mr. Speaker, I want to tell the former leader of the Bloc Quebecois how committed the government is to young Canadians.

This is why we set up, outside the employment insurance fund, a youth employment strategy in order to help young people gain entry into the labour market. The hon. member is asking us to help young people go on unemployment. What interests us is helping them enter the labour market.

[Michel Gauthier, Bloc, Roberval, QC]

Mr. Speaker, unlike what is happening opposite, every Bloc Quebecois member without exception is asking the minister to look after the unemployed.

[Some hon. members]

Right.

[Michel Gauthier, Bloc, Roberval, QC]

Does the Minister of Human Resources Development realize that, through his incompetence and lack of concern, he has made the unemployed the government's cash cow, no more no less?