Lost his last election, in 2006, with 38% of the vote.
Privilege October 31st, 1997
Yes, Mr. Speaker, this is going too far. The member for Rimouski—Mitis may very well have a letter dated October 30 and addressed to me, but I can assure you that I never misled the House when I said I had not yet read that letter.
There is a limit to making such claims. The member claims I misled the House, but I want to make it clear that I did not do so in any way.
The member for Rimouski—Mitis should apologize for what she just said.
Employment Insurance Fund October 31st, 1997
Mr. Speaker, what the Minister of Finance recognized the other day is that we have a very responsible attitude toward the EI fund.
You will recall that, in the government of which the Conservative leader was a member, a $2 billion surplus in the EI fund suddenly turned into a $6 billion deficit. As a result, the government then in power had to raise premiums by 30% at the height of the recession, thus creating more unemployment.
We have a different and much more responsible approach.
Closure Of Bc Mine October 31st, 1997
Mr. Speaker, I met workers' representatives on Wednesday afternoon and they told me very clearly in my office, looking me squarely in the eye, that POWA did not interest them.
So do not go asking me to give them something they have said they do not want. I have not yet seen yesterday's letter. I will consider it when I receive it. If the union prefers to deal with the Bloc Quebecois rather than me, that is fine. They will see what sort of service they get.
Seniors Benefits October 31st, 1997
Mr. Speaker, I thought the question was directed to my colleague in the finance department.
Before the finance committee the other day we had a long discussion on the merits of CPP reform. We were looking into a number of aspects. I think we are doing very well.
Closing Of Bc Mine October 31st, 1997
Mr. Speaker, we have set up a certain number of active measures to help them re-enter the job market and there is a transitional job creation fund to help revitalize the job market.
We are going to do everything we can to allow these workers to really give it their best, because we do not think we should underestimate individuals who are still able to make a significant contribution to the regional economy.
Closing Of Bc Mine October 31st, 1997
Mr. Speaker, we are obviously very concerned about the situation of these workers who, some of them after many, many years with the mine, are losing their jobs now that it is closing.
This is why my department met, at the end of September, with both the employer and worker representatives, and quickly and efficiently set up $2.5 to $3 million in active measures to help them re-enter the job market.
I met with representatives of the workers last Wednesday and they told me that the application under the POWA program being requested by the Bloc Quebecois was not what they wanted.
Poverty October 31st, 1997
Mr. Speaker, I can respond to Louise's problem with the solution we found for the problem of Yolande, Huguette and Maryse, who were not covered by the old system because much of the part time work in our economy is done by women. The fact that the current system is based on hours resolves the problem of many women who work part time.
Women are now covered from the first hour and not just after a number of weeks, which they could not accumulate in the past.
Poverty October 31st, 1997
Mr. Speaker, our government is very aware of the poverty. I, for one, am proud to represent a Montreal riding that is dealing with poverty. It makes me very aware of the situation, because I am there every Friday afternoon. I see and experience this poverty with my constituents.
This is why our government made it a priority in the last budget to increase the child tax credit by $850 million effective January 1998 and why we will double this amount in the next term to help low income families.
Employment Insurance October 31st, 1997
Mr. Speaker, the opposition party obviously has an excessive attachment to a system from the past, a system which encouraged dependency on government funds.
Our reform focuses on active return-to-work measures. If we look at the concrete situation instead of just using big words, it will be seen that welfare figures in Quebec have not gone up since our reform, despite what they keep saying on that side of the House.
Employment Insurance October 31st, 1997
Mr. Speaker, our employment insurance reform was necessary, and all Canadians agree totally with it.
The situation was such that our system was totally unsuited to today's labour market. We therefore had to carry out an extremely significant reform, a courageous one, and what I can tell you is that we are following this reform very closely in order to ensure that it continues to serve Canadians well.