Jane Stewart

[Employment Insurance, September 26th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, let me remind the hon. member that the employment insurance system is sound and it is there for Canadians who need it. Let me also remind the hon. member that our government makes changes where there is evidence that changes need to be made.

I remind the hon. member that we recently made changes in Bill C-2, and I remind the House and the hon. member's constituents that they voted against those changes.

[Airline Industry, September 26th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, we are very concerned about the layoffs and the terminations in the airline industry and the impact on the workers and their families. That is why my deputy minister met yesterday with officials from Air Canada to discuss precisely this fact; the programs and services that can be made available to the company and, most particularly, to its employees.

The employment insurance program is strong and sound and is there for these employees. My department will work with the organization and with the unions to make sure that claims are processed as efficiently as possible.

[Employment Insurance, September 25th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, first, I want to assure the hon. member and tell him that the employment insurance program is sound and it will be there to support the Canadians it is intended to support.

Our most recent monitoring and assessment report indicates that 88% of Canadians in paid employment would be eligible for benefits if they need them. Having said that, the government continues to make improvements in the program, and we need look no further than Bill C-2 for indications of that approach.

[Health, September 20th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member is quite right. Canadians are concerned about the supply and the deployment of physicians across the country. That is why we were glad earlier today to be joined by representatives of the medical profession to launch a human resources sector study that will help physicians in Canada plan for the health care workforce of the future.

This study will ensure that physicians can better anticipate changes in their role and in their skill requirements, while at the same time study the issue of the shortage of doctors.

I would like to thank the Canadian Medical Forum, an organization of over 60,000 physicians, for its leadership in this regard and will look forward to their--

[Social Insurance Numbers, September 20th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, I reject the accusations of the member.

I reiterate that the auditor general has said that we have taken appropriate action. The member would be interested to know of some of the other undertakings of the department. Ultraviolet lamps are used to detect false identification documents. Intervention measures to scrutinize SIN applications are used to prevent fraud. Over five million SINs have been flagged or cancelled to prevent fraud. Public awareness is part of this system.

The House can rest assured that we have a program in place to ensure the integrity of social insurance numbers.

[Social Insurance Numbers, September 20th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, the government is committed to protecting the integrity of the social insurance number program. I would note that the auditor general said that after our 1998 audit, the government took several measures to improve the management of the social insurance number program. We have increased the resources that are specifically dedicated to protecting the SIN from abuse and employees are trained to investigate and detect suspicious SIN applications.

[Access To Information, June 13th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, all I can say is that I am still here in the same place I started when I was taking political heat from that party.

[Access To Information, June 13th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, I absolutely will assure the hon. member that is the case. We will not be holding up their requests.

Her question gives me a chance to explain to the House what the information commissioner did say. He agreed, as I have said before, that the department did experience a large increase in the volume of requests due to the issues raised last year, but with specific reference to the number of complaints, he said “The matter is well in hand and not indicative of a systemic problem”.

My department has had an extraordinary record in providing information through the access to information process. We hope very soon to be back with an A grade and certainly will ensure that the information is conveyed as quickly as possible.

[Employment Insurance, June 13th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, as I have said time and again, the Government of Canada monitors and assesses the impact of the Employment Insurance Act on Canadians and we make changes as changes are necessary. That is why we doubled parental benefits. That is why we introduced and passed the amendments in Bill C-2. That is why just last Sunday we published in the Canada Gazette a proposal to change EI regulations that would guide the treatment of undeclared earnings.

Those changes were proposed so that the EI program would be more reflective of the work patterns of claimants. It is an idea that was presented to us by the FTQ, as well as other stakeholders. Again I point out that we make changes as warranted.

[Employment Insurance, June 13th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. members sit there and say that they want to vote today. They had a chance to vote on amendments last fall and they chose not to take it. They had a chance to vote on amendments to the Employment Insurance Act this spring and they voted against it.

There is nothing clearer than the fact that the members of the Bloc Party now know they were wrong in blocking this government. Thankfully we were able to pass the legislation, but with no help from them.