Mr. Speaker, the need for ice compensation for fishermen and for plant workers from the northeast coast of Newfoundland to the Northern Peninsula and Labrador is self-evident. Thick pack ice has enveloped this area for weeks now and there are absolutely no signs that it will move off any time soon. This has prevented fishermen from participating in the fishery and from earning a livelihood.
This past week the minister responsible finally acknowledged the situation in the House and said on record that a response was forthcoming. My expectation of the minister is as follows: that the program be launched immediately; that it provide full EI benefits at each applicant's previous EI benefit rates; that it be available for a period of not less than 10 weeks of additional benefits; and that the program changes be brought in to make this a permanent feature of the EI system, so that fisheries workers will not have to endure the anxiety and frustration of waiting for a reluctant government like this Conservative administration on the needs of working families like these fishermen and plant workers.