Mr. Speaker, Sidney Ebanks is 61 years old. He is a proud man who never missed a day of work in the last 18 years. His wife is unemployed due to a long-term illness and they are supporting an orphaned granddaughter through university. Unfortunately, Sidney was recently laid off with the closing of an auto parts plant in my riding.
So, with no pension, a minimum severance, and EI clearly insufficient to pay the bills, what hope does the minister have to offer Sidney and the increasing number of families who are caught in similar situations?