Mr. Speaker, on May 18, hundreds of textile workers from Huntingdon came to Parliament Hill to voice their distress.
After being victims of international treaties that led to massive plant closures in their industry, these workers saw the federal government terminate the Program for Older Worker Adjustment without replacing it.
Most of these workers spent their whole lives working in factories that are now closed. A few years away from what they hoped would be a happy retirement, many are left with nothing. After contributing to our collective wealth for their whole lives, these people feel betrayed.
Many of them are watching the time slip away, waiting for the day they have to go on welfare. That day is fast approaching.
The Bloc Québécois hears this cry from the heart and urges the government to immediately put in place a support program for workers who are victims of mass layoffs.