Mr. Speaker, I rise in this adjournment debate to speak to a very important matter that I raised with the minister on March 13, the job losses in my province of New Brunswick. The reality is that the Conservative federal government has not done much since coming to power. In addition to squandering the surplus left by the previous government, it has racked up an incredible deficit.
We wonder if we have hit bottom yet. We are no longer talking about a deficit of $1 billion or $34 billion. We are now talking about a deficit over two years of approximately $120 billion. When will this unreal deficit level off? In the meantime, tens of thousands of workers have lost their jobs across the country. When people lose their jobs, their families lose their livelihood.
In his reply, the President of the Treasury Board stated that the members of the Liberal Party had obstructed or attempted to delay the economic action plan. I would like to refresh his memory. In November 2008, the government and the Prime Minister prorogued Parliament in order to shut it down completely. Basically, it was a way of covering their backs and avoiding a vote of confidence that they would have lost. When the time came to do something, it was already too late. The economic action plan was presented well after the crisis had taken hold.
In the meantime, people are continuing to lose their jobs and to apply for employment insurance. They often need another 9, 11, 13 or 15 hours of employment to qualify for employment insurance. One thing we are asking for is a 360-hour threshold for benefit eligibility.
There is one area where the government is really dragging its feet on going ahead with the economic action plan and job creation. In towns in my riding, the Conservative government boasted about making an announcement in March of this year. Two months later, these same municipalities were still waiting for the go-ahead to issue calls for tenders. Today, municipalities where the government made its announcements in March 2009, two months ago, are still waiting for the go-ahead just to issue a call for tenders. To be legal in New Brunswick, a call for tenders has to allow a 21-day bidding period.
When will these infrastructure projects really start? In July, August, September, October or November? Winter will come and nothing will have even started. The government talks about creating jobs. When people lose their jobs and we want to put them to work again, the government should not claim that the Liberals were blocking things. We need to look at what the government has done to date. It is making announcements, but it cannot give the go-ahead at the same time. Meanwhile, people have lost their jobs and are not working, and other people are losing their jobs and not starting to work again.
Where is the Conservative government in all this? People need to start working again. We need to stimulate our economy. Meanwhile, people are sitting at home waiting to find a job or be called to work in construction.