Mr. Speaker, our Bloc friend has quite rightly concentrated his remarks on the impact that the economic cycles have on working Canadians.
He says that Canadians who are not working are not able to contribute to pension plans. He also makes the point that the actuarial costs of multinational corporations are paying a large dividend, and that the actuarial costs with respect to corporate pensions are not in keeping with the draw required for retirement. It is much less. Corporations are going out of business and leaving workers high and dry.
The Bloc and the opposition parties looked at amendments to EI that would tap into the many billions of dollars that are in the EI fund. That is a fund that has been set up by workers and contributors to be used not only as insurance but also as an investment in workers.
We have been castigated by the government because they say the draw is going to be $10 billion on a fund that is now over $50 billion.
My question to the member is, are the criticisms of his comments and the government's principles fair or unfair?
Does the member see the ability to use the employment insurance fund for protecting workers and investing in key corporations?
I have to take exception to his criticism of the payments to the automobile industry, given the spinoffs and multipliers generated by that industry, particularly in the province of Quebec.
I would like the member to respond to the criticisms having to do with using the fund for investment in workers, in light of the objectives that he has outlined.