Joe Volpe

[Domtar, December 10th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, after the hon. member for Stormont--Dundas--South Glengarry brought this to my attention, I had my officials immediately contact the union and the company. In fact, today my officials will be meeting with the employer and all the related individuals with the intent of establishing a system whereby we will streamline the process and in fact accept claims on site so that we can accelerate the benefits system and also the reintegration of said workers into the marketplace in the short--

[Human Resources and Skills Development, December 9th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, the program is already going. We have a team of coordinating deputy ministers who are bringing together five different departments: health, international trade, foreign affairs, human resources and immigration.

They are already putting together the network that is required to validate any education, any formation that has been achieved outside of our borders, then applying it to ensure they are qualified for licences and matching them as well with networks of employers.

All of this takes--

[Employment Insurance, December 8th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member should know that employment insurance benefits are always there for workers who are laid off through no fault of their own by their employer.

That said, I know the hon. member will agree with me that the statutory rules have been applied in this case. Should these constituents find that the rules were unfairly applied in their case, they are free to ask for a review. They may also make use of the independent and impartial appeal process designed to ensure proper application of the law.

[Employment Insurance, December 8th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, the only thing that is a hardship here is the lack of honesty of the party opposite.

I would like to indicate to the hon. members of that party that, over the past 10 years, we have created three million jobs, which generated a lot of hope and benefits while also creating a positive future for all Canadians.

During the last year alone, we created 59,000 jobs in Quebec.

[Employment Insurance, December 8th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, according to the Auditor General, the general actuary, we have made a fair and appropriate choice. We are in the process of making several decisions, and these decisions should be evaluated together, not individually.

[Employment Insurance, December 7th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, we listen to them both. Neither one is excluded. We are also awaiting the opinion of the Auditor General, who has said the system needs to be better balanced. We are taking action now because the economy is doing very well. As the hon. member is aware, there are far more Canadians contributing to the economy, even in his riding and his province.

[Employment Insurance, December 7th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, we need to look at the results of government policy over the past 10 years. The unemployment rate in Quebec, for example, dropped from 11.5% to 8.3%. This year, we have already created more jobs than in the past, including 59,000 in Quebec alone.

In my opinion, the best employment insurance is a job, employment. The government, which is creating numerous jobs, deserves to be congratulated.

[Employment Insurance, December 7th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, I was expecting the hon. member to extend his congratulations because we reduced premiums, and that was what all Canadians wanted.

However, with regard to changes to EI, we must respect the fact that a House committee will table a report in a few days. We are waiting for the report.

[Remote Sensing Space Systems Act, December 7th, 2004]

moved that Bill C-25, an act governing the operation of remote sensing space systems, be read the second time and referred to a committee.

[Citizenship and Immigration, December 6th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, the member has already heard the answer on many occasions. The minister made her decision and has referred the decision to an independent officer of the House, the Ethics Commissioner. The opposition has also referred the matter to the Ethics Commissioner.

Perhaps opposition members would like to get an answer from the Ethics Commissioner before they jump to a conclusion.