Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his question.
The first thing we observe is that the closures occur mainly in Quebec and Ontario. The Gildan announcement was a very sad one, and others may follow elsewhere.
Another important aspect is the fact that the people who work for these companies are often long-standing employees, with 20, 25 or 30 years of service. In 1995, the federal government abolished a program designed to province financial assistance to older workers as they moved toward retirement. We have been trying ever since to reintroduce this program in the employment insurance plan. Today, this is even more important.
The textile and apparel industries need a sound assistance program, but we have to expect job losses as the ones we see right now. These people who contributed to our society for 20, 25, 30 or 35 years have earned the right to be acknowledged. This program should be reinstated as soon as possible. Not only is there a need for it in the short term, but also more and more workers will be impacted by the new realities of market globalization and international competition.
In Montmagny, over one hundred workers aged 55 or over are in a difficult situation right now. They need as much opportunity as possible to get back into the work force, through active measures, but the reality is that a good number of them will not get other jobs. They deserve, not passive measures, but a program that would get them through to retirement age.
If a decent reserve had been maintained in the EI fund in the past few years, the federal government would be the first to come up with such a program. But that money has been used for purposes other than those for which employees and employers paid into the fund.
These workers, most of whom are women, absolutely need some help to overcome this obstacle. Active measures are needed, but so is a program of passive measures that will enable people to earn an income until they retire. Such is their reality. Efforts must be made to ensure that lay-offs are kept to a minimum. When people are laid off, every effort must be made to ensure that workers who have devoted their lives to the company can benefit from the appropriate measures. This is a very important goal.
Department officials who came before the Standing Committee on Industry, Natural Resources, Science and Technology told us that the total economic activity would not be so seriously affected. But the reality is that whole communities are being hit very hard, Huntingdon in particular, which my colleague will be speaking about shortly. Similar jobs have been lost in my area, in Montmagny, as well as elsewhere. In Cowansville, Consoltex is about to experience job losses if steps are not taken promptly. If this does come to pass, those communities will be hard hit.
This is the reason the federal government must take steps to complete its intervention plan as recommended. I hope that the House will support that recommendation unanimously this evening. It is essential for the clothing and textile industries.