Douglas Young

[Old Age Security, March 13th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, it is obvious that the hon. member feels very strongly about this.

She has to come to grips with the real choices that face Canadians every day and also face the government and that is to make a choice between trying to maintain programs and systems in place to assist those who are most vulnerable in our society and recognize that people who are somewhat better off often recognize their obligations of having to make significant contributions.

The true test of the changes that were announced by the Minister of Finance in his budget comes when you look at the reaction of senior citizens around the country. No one could possibly contemplate continuing a system where there was uncertainty, where people actually could not prepare to plan for their futures.

The results of testing show the reaction from senior citizen's groups around the country. People do have confidence that when they retire there will be a program in place. Those who are already retired and those who are within five years of being 65 years of age also have certainty.

[Old Age Security, March 13th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member would agree that prior to the budget and prior to statements by the Prime Minister, a lot of senior citizens in the country were extremely concerned because a number of comments and studies indicated that the entire program was in great difficulty.

The Prime Minister's undertaking was to ensure that no one who was presently benefiting from OAS-GIS would be affected by the changes. He made that commitment in this place and elsewhere.

I am sure the hon. member will agree that when the Minister of Finance brought in his budget, not only did he honour the commitment made by the Prime Minister, but he extended that commitment by making sure that no one who was 60 on January 1 of this year was going to be affected by any changes.

I am sure that most senior citizens appreciate the hon. member joining them and applauding the fact that the government has now predictability and sustainability in what was formerly the OAS-GIS which is now the combined seniors benefit.

[Unemployment Insurance Reform, March 13th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, a whole series of people are supposed to appear before the committee. Dozens, if not hundreds of individuals and groups have asked to come and testify before the parliamentary committee.

I hope, with time, the committee will invite me too to come and do it a bit of a favour by explaining the implications of certain proposals by organizations or members of Parliament.

I do not think we should just leave the impression that it is going to take two, three or four months before we get to solutions, because I am sure the committee, given that its work has already begun, will submit suggestions for the government's consideration, and we will come up with final proposals. I hope this will happen within the next few weeks.

[Unemployment Insurance Reform, March 13th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, I think all members who have looked at the issue realize the extent of the concerns raised by a whole lot of people pretty much throughout the country. I think it would be irresponsible of me to impose more work on the committee, which, only a few days ago, got the job of looking over the bill and expressing its opinion. I remind you that all political parties are represented on the committee.

I think it would be inappropriate for me to say: "We are going to propose this and that amendment on top of Bill C-12", before I even hear what the parliamentary delegation on the committee has to say. In the coming days, when we have heard the witnesses who are to appear before the committee, I hope that we will hear the member's suggestions for amending the bill. She is right, we do not intend to withdraw the bill, but we do intend to amend it to meet the needs of people with legitimate concerns.

[Unemployment Insurance Reform, March 13th, 1996]

And as for this "baveux", this member of the Bloc Quebecois-

[Unemployment Insurance Reform, March 13th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, it would be to the Leader of the Opposition's advantage to allow the critic, who handles these issues so ably, to continue to work toward the improvements we wish to see made to Bill C-12. That hon. member knows what she is talking about, at least.

What is going on here today? The Leader of the Opposition is telling us that our minds are already made up.

Since Parliament reconvened, I have been explaining in this House that the parliamentary process requires the committee to examine the bill in question, and I am confident that members of all parties will have valuable suggestions to make. We have not decided on one solution in preference to another, except that we do wish all changes made to Bill C-12 as tabled to be equitable and in line with the commitments made by the Minister of Finance in last year's budget.

[Unemployment Insurance Reform, March 13th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, it is important to treat such a problematical matter seriously. I can assure the Leader of the Opposition that, in the consultations to be held with the parliamentary committee, we will be consulting many more people, taking care to listen, to evaluate what they have to say.

There will be a greater number of people consulted on bill C-12 than there were involved in selecting the Leader of the Opposition.

[Employment, March 12th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, there are many people who enjoy positions of leadership in the country, whether they are in the union movement, in business, in politics or anywhere else, who deserve the respect of all of us in the House. However, when someone goes into northern New Brunswick, hardly knowing where it is, and leads people out into the streets with all kinds of false and erroneous information to exploit them, I do not buy into it. If the hon. member and his party do, that is their problem.

[Unemployment Insurance Reform, March 12th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, it is very, very important when we are dealing with people in our society. Real men and real women with real families and real problems every day are concerned about what they have to face when they are unemployed.

I will spend my political career and my political capital defending the people I represent. The hon. member can spend her time with her friends like Bob White who makes more money than she does and more money than I do going around exploiting the poor people of northern New Brunswick.

[Unemployment Insurance Reform, March 12th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, the first responsibility of any member of this House is always the same: to be honest and tell the truth.

This is a principle which I have been applying for a long time. I have so much respect for the hon. member that I know she believes the comments attributed to me are truly what I said.

The hon. member should read the report published by the Canadian Press in the paper L'Acadie nouvelle . The comments reported in that article are absolutely accurate. The comments that I made yesterday to the media and that were reported in L'Acadie nouvelle truly reflect my opinion.

And my opinion is this: the professional agitators who organize protests-and I named the two gentlemen in question, Yvon Godin and Mr. Basque-have been known for a long time. These people should find better things to do on a Sunday afternoon than going from protest to protest and raising the emotions and concerns of people who are being exploited by union leaders. I am also deeply concerned that the hon. member wants to do the same.

Because the quote was read in English, I want to be absolutely accurate. I have said that I understand the problems faced by people who have concerns about the reform to the unemployment insurance legislation.

The report in the Canadian Press, the report in the Telegraph Journal , the report in L'Acadie Nouvelle were accurate. I know the hon. member would want to check the facts before she attributes statements to me where I would allege that anybody on unemployment who was walking in those demonstrations was lazy or not doing their job properly. What I said was that well-paid people like Bob White, Basque and Godin who work the year round agitating the poor and the unemployed should stop exploiting vulnerable people in our society.