Pierre Pettigrew

[Employment Insurance, June 1st, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, once again we note that the Bloc is interested only in the passive measures of the system that was compared with systems in certain states solely in terms of passive measures, whereas the design and philosophy of our employment insurance plan is not to have people on employment insurance but to help them return to the labour market.

That is why we increased budgets for active measures in order to help them return to the labour force. That is why we created the transitional job fund. This is much more interesting for Canadians than a cheque every two weeks.

[Employment Insurance, June 1st, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, the government is undertaking a major reform of the plan the opposition member describes as generous, but which is totally ineffective within the context of the Canadian economy, as he knows full well. Studies around the world considered the Canadian system to be outdated and a disincentive to work.

I think we have done our job in modernizing the employment insurance system and in adapting it to the modern reality of the labour market.

[Bc Mine In Black Lake, May 28th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, I am of course aware of the plight of older workers, to which I alluded on several occasions. I think we all agree that POWA, which has yet to be replaced, was rather unfair and did not treat older workers equitably.

For the time being, we have put in place important measures and general programs that are also geared to these people and that address, in a large number of cases, their needs. But we have to see what else can be done.

[Student Employment, May 28th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, we treat all ridings the very same way. We welcomed all the projects submitted to us.

If the member has a particular case he wants to raise with me I will be delighted to discuss it with him, but I do not see why he is taking the time of the House on an issue that he cannot substantiate very well.

[Student Employment, May 28th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, I fail to understand what the member is referring to. All students are treated the same way by all our programs across Atlantic Canada.

[Employment Insurance, May 28th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member is about a year out of date, because we resolved the problem of the short week with two pilot projects across the country.

As soon as we started the pilot projects on short weeks, the problem disappeared.

[Groundfish Industry, May 28th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, last November I asked Eugène Harrigan, a senior official in my department, to do the rounds of the communities and meet with people. He met with the provincial administrations and consultations were on a very good level.

The Harrigan report is available to the opposition, and if they take the trouble to read it they will see that we have the best picture of the region that has ever been gathered, to enable us to make the right decisions.

I speak regularly with all ministers of fisheries and oceans across the country who want to talk to me, and am always pleased to do so.

[Groundfish Industry, May 28th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, we are of course aware that the people in the region are undergoing real stress because of the impending end of TAGS in August, a strategy we put in place several years ago.

Our government, several of my government colleagues and myself have worked very hard in recent weeks, and we are currently working with the provinces in order to assist the communities and individuals, through government programs, after the end of TAGS in August.

[Transitional Jobs Fund, May 28th, 1998]

These reports clearly established that people—and I will have to say it very slowly this time—have been finding jobs faster since our 1994 reform. A larger number of workers who had lost their jobs in seasonal industries have found new jobs in other industries for the rest of the year. There are some very positive aspects—

[Transitional Jobs Fund, May 28th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member for Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup—Témiscouata—Les Basques just skimmed the reports quickly. I think he did not get the whole picture.