Pierre Pettigrew

[Job Creation, March 17th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, Canada is lucky enough to be a member of the OECD, one of the world's foremost brain trusts, and it relies on the economic studies made by that organization.

The hope to create 350,000 jobs in our economy in the next year is based on the serious work done by these people, who have identified our economy as the most promising, since it is basically sound.

It is perfectly normal to have jobs of a different nature than in the past, including independent jobs, which are perfectly acceptable in the new economy, and which should not be looked down on.

[Job Creation, March 17th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, obviously, as a government, we cannot be pleased with the figures regularly heard in this House.

We are constantly striving to create an economic climate that will convince people to invest more. We also implemented job creation initiatives like no government before us. We changed an unemployment insurance system that acted as a disincentive to work, and replaced it with job creation funds, with a transitional job creation fund.

This morning, I was pleased to announce, in the east end of Montreal, an $8 million subsidy from the transitional job creation fund that will help create 3,000 jobs in the textile sector in the east end of Montreal.

[Employment Insurance, March 12th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, we must avoid the pitfall of political cynicism. From the moment we fix a problem, what we should do in the weeks and months that follow, what it is our duty to do, is continue to listen to the people of Canada, to the Atlantic provinces and to Quebec, which asked us to resolve this problem. We will do so with the sense of responsibility we want to demonstrate to Canadians.

[Employment Insurance, March 12th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, as you know, we were committed to monitoring the transition of employment insurance very closely, and that is what we did.

The adjustments we made in the second month after its implementation were made precisely because we are an attentive government and do our work carefully.

We wanted to cover the 29 regions with unemployment above10 per cent, because we felt the problem was greater there, as work is harder to find. So, where unemployment is at 10 per cent, we will have two solutions. One will enable workers to combine weeks or ignore weeks so that, at the end of 18 months, we can compare one system with another or evaluate the fact that we did not touch the system. We will be able to compare three elements.

[Employment, March 11th, 1997]

I thank the member for his very good question. We are very preoccupied with the high level of unemployed people in the country.

As you know, Mr. Speaker, the very nature of work is changing these days. It is more and more difficult to adapt to its needs. This is something that we try very hard to do as a government.

Placement agencies happen to be very useful in a number of circumstances and we have had good results with the ones we have actually worked with.

I want to assure the country and the House that HRDC is still working very well at the employment centres and that we have a number of important programs. Reinvesting $800 million in active measures is one element of it. We have had very successful programs to help Canadians find jobs.

The new electronic labour exchange which matches employers and job seekers has had an extraordinary 80 per cent positive result. We still give a lot of face to face services for these people. The job bank which links employers with job seekers is quite efficient as well.

[Ubi Soft Entertainment, March 10th, 1997]

Of course, we will answer. We already met with Quebec government officials and local stakeholders last week and we have agreed to work together with the Quebec government and the Federal Office of Regional Development in this matter. The three parties involved met last week.

We want to assess this very important issue together, but it raises all sorts of questions, precisely because it is so important.

[Ubi Soft Entertainment, March 10th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, again, I would like to remind all members that we, on this side of the House, are a government team. When a project deals with industrial matters, it is only natural that the Minister of Industry offer his views.

Since one aspect of this matter is of interest to the Department of Human Resources Development, and considering that I indeed received a letter from the Government of Quebec, we did act with due diligence.

[Employment Insurance, March 10th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, I withdraw the word "demagoguery", but I would say with pleasure that we worked hard to solve the problems brought to our attention. Where unemployment is at 10 per cent, there is less likelihood of finding work that would give people longer weeks. The aim of our system is precisely to encourage people to accept as much work as possible.

So, in Saint-Henri, where unemployment is above 10 per cent, the situation is remedied. Where unemployment is less, people are

more likely to work a full week. That is the logic and that is the sort of logic that promotes work.

[Employment Insurance, March 10th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, if the hon. member was referring to Saint-Henri, is she-

[Employment Insurance, March 10th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, I recognize the demagoguery of those opposite. No doubt they are talking about the committee-