Jane Stewart

[Human Resources Development, February 7th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, I just ask the hon. member to review Hansard where I was forthcoming and identified that there were administrative problems in the particular program that they asked questions about.

[Human Resources Development, February 7th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, let me repeat again that there has been no $1 billion lost. We know where the money is. It is in the ridings of all the members of parliament in this House. There is nothing in the internal audit that I received that would change anything I said in this House to date.

[Human Resources Development, February 7th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, I received the audit and took it seriously. I demanded that my department prepare a full response so that we could deal with this issue.

We made the full report public. Now I would say that as a minister it is my responsibility to ensure that the action plan will be implemented and that this problem will be fixed once and for all.

[Human Resources Development, February 7th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, I am not here to argue dates with the hon. member but let us make it clear. I have nothing to hide. I am the one who received the audit that said there were improvements that had to be made in my department. I am the one who insisted on the strong management report response from my department. I made the audit, its data and the management response public. We are going to implement a very cohesive six point plan to ensure that this problem never happens again.

[Human Resources Development, February 7th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, I am not here to tell you that everything is run perfectly in my department. That is why I am working with the department to implement a significantly strengthened regime that will ensure we manage the grants and contributions in my department effectively.

I want the House to understand that a billion dollars has not disappeared. We know where every cheque has gone. It is held by educational institutions. It is held by community organizations, by individuals and small business people in the hon. member's riding, in her seatmate's riding and in the ridings of all the members of parliament in the House.

[Millennium Scholarships, December 17th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased at the entry point of the new millennium to talk about the millennium scholarships, to see that the Bloc has finally agreed that they are a very important piece of our partnership together, and to say that the foundation recently announced, in advance of its original timeframe, 70,000 grants to needy students across the country.

I have received on behalf of the foundation the suggestion from Mr. Legault in his proposal. I am glad to say that our officials are working to look at its details. I am very optimistic that we will be able to have an agreement with the Government of Quebec.

[Employment Insurance, December 17th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, I have spoken with seasonal workers, both in Quebec and Atlantic Canada. When I speak with them their interest is to find alternatives for themselves and their children. They understand the importance of seasonal work, but they also want to ensure in their areas that there is a diverse economy, that there is a bright future and that their children can remain in their areas and be able to contribute to the broader Canadian success.

[Employment Insurance, December 17th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House we are focused on making sure that Canadians do have opportunities to work. We have good job numbers. We have the lowest unemployment rate in almost two decades. We have the lowest unemployment rate since the early 1970s for women. We are focused on making sure that all Canadians benefit from the ever increasing and improving economy.

[Government Grants, December 17th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, the common practice of the government is to work with communities with high unemployment to ensure that they have the opportunities that the rest of Canada has to benefit from the successes of our great country.

Is it right for us to invest in communities in Quebec to ensure the their citizens have opportunities to work? It is. Is it right for us to invest in communities in Atlantic Canada to ensure their citizens have opportunities to work? It absolutely is.

Is it right for us to invest in communities in northern British Columbia to ensure that citizens of Canada have opportunities to work. It is, and we will continue to do so.

[Government Grants, December 16th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, I have explained to the House today the number of partners that supported these projects in a riding of high unemployment. I can only assume that members of the Reform Party just do not accept that there are areas of high unemployment, that they do not accept that the federal government has a role to play to ensure that Canadians in these areas have opportunities to find work. Reform Party members just do not agree with what Canadians believe to be the duty of the government. They want these areas to fester with levels of unemployment that we just will not accept.