Mr. Speaker, workers at AbitibiBowater, which is due to close, will not be able to take advantage of the additional weeks of employment insurance benefits the government has announced. Like many other workers, those at AbitibiBowater have been laid off intermittently, which means that they are not eligible for the new measures. Even Quebec's labour minister is calling on the federal government to consider forestry workers.
Does the minister realize that her bill does nothing to address the real problems facing the unemployed, starting with eligibility for EI?