Mr. Chair, earlier, the Minister of Finance said that, in his opinion, this has to be looked at in the long term—that is the expression he used. He even quoted the great economic strategist, Wayne Gretzky, by saying we have to skate to where the puck is going, not to where it has been. That is all well and good, but we would like to know if the minister has an idea of what we should do during the transition.
He spoke earlier about a rather minimal amount allocated by his government. He even had the gall to mention POWA, even though that program no longer exists. He should know that, and so should his closest colleagues. As the Bloc Québécois so aptly pointed out, no programs have been implemented for people over 55. This is tragic for people who are losing their jobs in the manufacturing sector.
Last week, I visited the Golden Brand factory in Montreal where 550 jobs will soon be lost. Yet that factory is making money. Incidentally, it produces clothing for Moores, which has decided to move all its clothing manufacturing to China, even though it was turning a profit here in Canada. Take note: people should stop buying clothes at Moores.
The real question is this: what should the people do, those aged 57, 60 or 62 who have been working someplace for 30 years, if no older worker adjustment program is implemented to help meet their needs until they can take early retirement?