Caroline St-Hilaire

[Softwood Lumber, May 16th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, as opposed to the minister, the industry is betting on international tribunals rather than on a resumption of talks with Washington. In fact, according to Carl Grenier, of CLÉ-Bois, the latest U.S. offer is worse than bait, it is a weight that could drag businesses and workers to the bottom.

Instead of settling for a sellout deal, will the government finally provide loan guarantees so that the whole industry can benefit from the upcoming WTO and NAFTA rulings at the end of the day?

[Softwood Lumber, May 16th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, because of inadequate federal assistance, the softwood lumber crisis has now made more victims. Tembec just told 300 sawmill workers in Béarn, Témiscamingue, that they are being temporarily laid off. To make matters worse, according to Marc Boutin, of the Conseil de l'industrie forestière du Québec, it is likely that other mills will also cease production.

Given this disaster, can the Minister for International Trade tell us why the government still refuses to provide loan guarantees that would allow the industry to get through this crisis?

[Foreign Affairs, May 15th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, on May 5, the Colombian army launched a military operation to free the hostages being held by FARC, an operation that ended tragically with the assassination of 10 hostages.

The President of Columbia's approach is seriously jeopardizing the lives of hostages, including Ingrid Betancourt.

Does the Minister of Foreign Affairs plan on intervening with the Government of Columbia to obtain the assurance that negotiations will be favoured over military operations, which endanger the lives of the hostages?

[Jean-Philippe Leblanc, May 14th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, it my pleasure to welcome to Parliament Hill the member for a day from Longueuil, Jean-Philippe Leblanc. He is the big winner in the “MP for a day” contest at Jacques-Rousseau high school, in my riding.

I want to congratulate all secondary IV students in the national history course who participated in the contest. Selecting a winner was not an easy task, but I chose Jean-Philippe because of his drive, his speaking skills and, of course, his keen interest in politics.

During his stay in Ottawa, Jean-Philippe, who is accompanied by his mother, Mrs. Lucille Lapointe-Leblanc, will explore and familiarize himself with the workings of Parliament.

By offering this opportunity, I wish to interest young people in the world of politics and create an awareness of parliamentary work.

Jean-Philippe, on behalf of all my colleagues, I welcome you and wish you an enjoyable stay among us.

[Fisheries, May 9th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the secretary of state who just answered that workers should be patient said that there would be diversification measures. This fall, as he said, will be too late, particularly since the help that was promised is for communities and not one penny of it will go to the pockets of plant workers who need money now.

Will the minister admit that special employment insurance measures are needed now in order to help plant workers, and that Ottawa cannot wash its hands of the situation?

[Fisheries, May 9th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday in Chandler, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans and local MP went and told hundreds of plant workers who have been without any pay for more than a month and who have no work due to a lack of crab to process, that the federal government would not extend their EI benefits.

Will the government, which is responsible for the collapse of the stocks because of its mismanagement, finally realize that what is needed right now is special EI measures for plant workers to help them make ends meet, and that this is the responsibility of the government?

[Employment Insurance, May 2nd, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, Claude Béchard feels the Government of Quebec could recover a significant share of the EI fund's surplus in order to better meet the needs of workers who are unemployed.

Is the federal government ready to go this route, as the Employment Insurance Act permits?

[Employment Insurance, May 2nd, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, in December 2002, the National Assembly passed a unanimous resolution asking the Government of Canada to use the surplus from the EI fund to support the unemployed, rather than to pay off the national debt. This consensus in Quebec remains strong, and the proof is in the fact that Quebec's new employment minister, Clause Béchard, just reiterated Quebec's concerns about the shameful use of the fund's surplus.

Given that a new spirit of cooperation is supposed to exist with Quebec and that the needs of the unemployed are pressing, is Ottawa now prepared to agree to the emergency meeting requested by Minister Béchard?

[Supply, May 1st, 2003]

Madam Speaker, it is quite an experience for me to follow such a great speaker with such vast experience. Still, I am pleased to speak today on the motion before us, which falls on May 1, International Workers' Day. I want to take this opportunity to pay homage to all workers, especially those in the Longueuil riding.

It also coincides with the protest today on Parliament Hill by several hundreds of workers in support of the anti-scab legislation introduced by my hon. colleague from Laurentides. I want to highlight her tenacity, her ability to listen to and her will to work for the workers of Quebec.

Several hundred workers came to tell the federal government that it is high time it took a stand, once and for all, and said that they are entitled to the same things are their brothers and sisters working under Quebec jurisdiction.

It is impossible to imagine that, in 2003, in a so-called democratic society, all these people who play a fundamental role in the economic development of Quebec and Canada do not have the same rights.

How is it that, in 2003, the rights of the those primarily responsible for our economic prosperity are being trampled on? It is high time to introduce measures for civilized bargaining between equal parties to ensure labour peace, as proposed in my colleague's bill.

I am particularly aware of the devastating effects that hiring replacement workers can have. To illustrate the effects, I would like to tell a few stories.

Many members may remember, others perhaps all too well, the infamous dispute at United Aircraft in Longueuil. This dispute deeply affected the history of Quebec's labour movement. In 1974, 2,200 union members, members of the United Auto Workers, went on strike.

These workers were victims of numerous attempts at intimidation and provocation by the employer, who did not hesitate to hire scabs who, furthermore, came from around the world to replace the union members.

Eight hundred of these workers stood strong until the end and then returned to work. Others, however, did not get this chance and bowed under family and financial pressure.

That strike and the sacrifice of those who went on strike must never be forgotten. On the contrary, it must be a lesson to us and guide us toward concrete and positive actions. Above all, we must not forget those obscure workers whose dignity and rights were, in several cases, trampled on.

However, one must use the positive aspects of those stories to build the future. There were positive effects, in fact, and it took René Lévesque, who respected workers' rights, to understand that those shortcomings had to be corrected and to bring the National Assembly to pass anti-scab legislation in 1977. René Lévesque had understood how important it is to respect tworkers' rights.

This is exactly what I am asking all my colleagues in this House to do today, that is, to understand how important it is to respect workers' rights. Too much energies and too many resources were wasted on these disputes for them to be forever forgotten. And, above all, we must be very careful not to lapse into old habits.

More than a quarter of a century later and in spite of the pressure the Bloc Quebecois has been exerting for ten years, the federal government has still not updated the Canada Labour Code as René Lévesque courageously updated its Quebec counterpart.

If the government had taken its responsibilities, I would not have to tell you other stories, mstories from the very recent past. We need only think of Vidéotron, Secur. History repeated itself once again. Management ruined the atmosphere of trust by hiring scabs.

This has to stop. As parliamentarians, we have a great responsibility in this regard, and also the power that is required to take action. We have the responsibility to ensure that collective bargaining is done with the greatest respect, in the greatest harmony and equity, both for workers and employers. Quite frankly, why would anyone be opposed to promoting harmony respect of the parties' rights, in collective bargaining?

A dispute is never healthy, particularly if it lasts long, and when this happens, it gets worse.

It helps no one. It hurts businesses, it hurts workers and it even hurts local economies. Nothing justifies such an attitude.

This is why I urge my colleagues today to remember, as these workers remember. They should be inspired by these stories and see to it that wenever have to go through such degrading attacks on workers' rights.

I urge those who are listening to us, particularly the people in my riding, to mobilize, to be heard and, in the end, to make the federal government come to its senses.

Experience shows that prohibiting the hiring of scabs helps to improve bargaining and, in particular, to keep management from being tempted to let disputes drag on.

[Aboriginal Affairs, April 30th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday nearly 50 representatives of the first nations attended—until the wee hours of the morning—the debate on Bill C-7 regarding first nations governance.

In recognition of his convictions and his determination to defend their basic rights, my hon. colleague from Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot was given their highest honour, an eagle feather, presented by the shaman himself.

This great honour is given to individuals who have made exceptional contributions to the betterment of the first nations. According to traditional first nations beliefs, the eagle is the messenger of the gods and, from high in the sky, it has a view of the whole world, and of the past, present and future. This bold and visionary bird is a symbol of power and strength for the first nations.

These same attributes could be applied to our hon. colleague from Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot.

The Bloc Quebecois is proud to have among its members a man who values identity and culture so highly.