Madam Speaker, I have no quarrel with the member for Chambly—Borduas. He is absolutely right. There are inconsistencies and that is what I am looking for. I am looking for a vehicle in the federal government to ensure that those inconsistencies do not continue to happen.
For example, on just one front we have some very real concerns, and I know that Quebec has some concerns and does a good job without a lot of support from the federal government. The availability of legal protection for the poor and disadvantaged in our country rank among the highest in the world. With the repeal of the Canada assistance plan in 1996, Canada no longer has a national framework for protecting basic social and economic rights such as the right to adequate social assistance for all people in need, comparable to the substantive health care guarantees that have been maintained under the Canada Health Act.
Therefore, we are looking for something like the Canada Health Act in this ministry to protect the rights of people to a standard of living and to protect them when they find themselves unemployed, so that they get from the fund what they paid into it in terms of the cost of living for them.
I agree with the member. There are inconsistencies. If we were to work effectively with the minister, we might be able to find a way to reduce the inconsistencies in this ministry and put in place some vehicles that would guarantee and ensure citizens that they would get the things that they are entitled to.