Lost her last election, in 2004, with 28% of the vote.
Petitions March 10th, 1999
Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions today.
The first petition, with 2,000 signatures, is from people in my riding of Beauséjour—Petitcodiac, as well as from Saint-Louis, Kouchibougouac, Saint-Charles and Pointe-Sapin, all of whom are greatly concerned by the cuts to employment insurance and earn no income for certain periods of the year. These 2,000 petitioners deplore the poverty this situation causes.
Federal-Provincial Fiscal Arrangements Act March 9th, 1999
Madam Speaker, I have a question for my colleague about reserves and land claims. Would he agree that if the first nations had not settled and given us their land, that really we would not have the land?
Food Banks March 9th, 1999
Mr. Speaker, two weeks ago, I visited eight food banks in my riding of Beauséjour—Petitcodiac.
To my dismay, I learned that demand has gone up in food banks over the last five years. The reasons are inadequate pay cheques, single parent families and, the biggest reason of all, EI cuts. Thousands of unemployed workers have no choice but to go to food banks.
Moreover, I learned that the Department of Human Resources Development is creating a dependence on food banks in New Brunswick by forcing people to turn to these banks instead of providing them with financial assistance. While this Liberal government continues to help the rich get richer, poor families are falling further and further behind.
I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate food bank co-ordinators on the wonderful and much appreciated work they do.
Federal-Provincial Fiscal Arrangements Act March 9th, 1999
Mr. Speaker, Reform members talk about health care. Now they are the saviours of health care, although one of the Reform members said at one point that they were hurt in the United States and got better service in the United States.
It is nice to hear the words, but unfortunately, following my review of the situation, we cannot take Reform's word.
Federal-Provincial Fiscal Arrangements Act March 9th, 1999
The bingo parlour, exactly. But once elected, those words were forgotten. The pension plan was the same thing. How many Reform members got elected saying they would not accept the pension plan and now they have all taken it? Reform also talks about health care.
Federal-Provincial Fiscal Arrangements Act March 9th, 1999
Mr. Speaker, first of all I would like to inform my colleague that when that comment was made, the McKenna government was actually on its way out. It was so far out that Thériault actually made a comment this week that he was trying to distance himself from the McKenna government, although he was holding his hot coffee cup, all along he was in his cabinet. That tells us what the McKenna government did.
The member also said he would give a whole lot more to New Brunswick. I am just wondering how good Reform's word is. That is the question. The words are nice but I also remember about the Stornoway house and how it was a bad place to go to.
Federal-Provincial Fiscal Arrangements Act March 9th, 1999
That is exactly what it is saying. That party does not care for the people in the country who have less than others.
Every province is a province of the country and the wealth should be divided among the whole country, not only among a couple of provinces. There are provinces and territories in the country. I cannot imagine that party has the gall to get up in the House and say the things it says. I hope Canadians are hearing what members of that party are saying. I hope they hear them.
I wish the Liberal government could hear them as well and stop implementing their policies, because that is the other part that scares me. I live in New Brunswick, in Atlantic Canada. It is a province within the Atlantic provinces of Canada.
Reformers talk about dependency on EI and dependency on equalization payments. They pretend to care about minority groups. They pretend because they do not. They do not care about the provinces that need help.
I just checked with every person in Atlantic Canada and we are willing to give up our equalization payments if they want to send the jobs they have in their provinces. That is a tradeoff we will take. That is no problem.
People in Atlantic Canada want to work. We live in a country where we are supposed to share. We have the Reform Party criticizing the Bloc. Everybody should be looking at themselves to see what kind of platform they are actually trying to promote.
Federal-Provincial Fiscal Arrangements Act March 9th, 1999
Mr. Speaker, I find it interesting that a party can get up in the House and say that the provinces are creating a dependency on equalization payments. It is unbelievable that the official opposition, which says that it is a national party, can actually say that it does not agree with those things.
Federal-Provincial Fiscal Arrangements Act March 9th, 1999
Mr. Speaker, it is unfortunate having the Reform Party as the official opposition. The Liberal government implements Reform Party policies. When I heard the member say how he wanted to give more power or autonomy to Quebec, I was concerned, because I come from the Atlantic region where help is needed.
The Atlantic region is part of Canada. I think some people in this House forget that. If the Reform Party were in power, it would abandon these regions and its responsibilities toward them. I would like to know whether my Progressive Conservative colleague agrees with me.
Employment Insurance March 2nd, 1999
Mr. Speaker, this government has given responsibility for part II of the Employment Insurance Act to the province of New Brunswick. Unfortunately, it did not impose any conditions on the provincial government before transferring the funds. It ought to have made sure that the programs provided by the province met the needs of the unemployed.
Today, we find ourselves with a program set up by the province with federal funding which does not meet the needs of all the “gappers”.
Is this government going to finally assume its responsibility for the unemployed and transfer additional funds, this time making sure that all the “gappers” are going to get help? There are critical situations in New Brunswick, with a provincial government which—