Raymonde Folco

[Literacy, October 25th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to inform the House that October 25 is International Literacy Day.

Literacy affects just about every aspect of our life. It is the key factor in the growth and development of individuals and in the economic success of our country.

In addition, Canadians know that good reading and writing skills represent a powerful key to many learning situations.

It is essential that all Canadians reach a high enough level of literacy to meet the current and future needs of the job market and the knowledge based economy. This is why skills acquisition and continuous learning are key priorities for our government.

I sincerely hope that my colleagues in the House will join with me in congratulating all those who help make Canadians more literate.

[Armenia, October 23rd, 2001]

Madam Speaker, the hon. member is very familiar with the work sharing programs between the Department of Human Resources Development and employers, employees and unions.

Again—and the hon. member said it himself—we hope that employees, unions and the employer, Air Canada, will agree to operate on the basis of this program, which has worked for other companies.

I cannot provide more information at this point since the players involved met today and will surely meet again tomorrow, precisely to discuss this issue. There is no answer to give because discussions are progressing well. We hope to be able to give a positive reply, but I cannot provide any answer at this point, even though I would love to be able to.

As regards the question of my hon. colleague, question concerning the reply that the minister is to provide by the 26—

[Armenia, October 23rd, 2001]

Madam Speaker, the matter raised by my colleague for Acadie—Bathurst is certainly important, not only for him as the representative of the people of Acadie—Bathurst but for us in government.

I can tell him, and I think he already knows, that the Government of Canada is always concerned when workers lose their jobs. I would assure my colleague that the officials of the Department of Human Resources Development have worked with and continue to work on a daily basis with employees of the airline and with the union and employers to come up with solutions and ensure that the employees affected have recourse to all the programs and services provided by HRDC.

Speaking of Air Canada as one example of many—and I stress that—the department and we are in daily contact with Air Canada. The Minister of Human Resources Development has personally met the representatives of the unions affected and those of Air Canada and has assured them that we will work with them so the employment insurance plan will help those employees laid off.

We are currently working with the employees, the unions and the employer to be sure that the members and employees of Air Canada get the benefits they are entitled to as effectively as possible.

I must say that not only are we working with them but under HRDC's program we visit the company's premises. Departmental employees do this in order to get information to employees as quickly as possible.

HRDC offers several forms of assistance to employees and to employers in cases of mass layoffs. As I have just said, we visit the employer's premises or a mutually agreed upon location in order to help employees fill out their EI application.

Since we are on site, we can gather the necessary information and process applications as soon as possible.

Discussions with company representatives—I am speaking here of Air Canada, but this can be multiplied by a number of companies, which are almost in a free fall right now, given the number of employees they are laying off—and unions focused on work sharing mainly as a way of offsetting the impact of the present economic downturn and reducing the number of layoffs.

Just to refresh the hon. member's memory, work sharing allows employers to deal with cutbacks without resorting to layoffs. It entails a reduction in the work week and a corresponding reduction in salary. For days not worked, HRDC will see that workers receive EI benefits, which partially compensates for the reduced salary they are receiving from their employer. Work sharing therefore benefits workers, because they do not have to go through the difficult experience of being laid off.

Although they receive a reduced salary from their employer, they also receive EI benefits and can continue working, which is obviously important. This also allows workers to maintain their professional skills.

I am certain that by demonstrating goodwill and flexibility, we will be able to conclude work sharing agreements with the airline industry.

Our priority right now is to ensure that employees who have received a layoff notice and who must rely on the EI system can receive all the benefits--

[Armenia, October 23rd, 2001]

Madam Speaker, I would like to add my voice to those speaking in support of having the Government of Canada, and this parliament in particular, recognize the genocide of the Armenians perpetrated by the former Ottoman empire in 1915.

The facts of the genocide are public knowledge. They are certainly well known to this House, since this is not the first time we have debated this subject. There have been other debates on other motions, which have unfortunately been defeated in a vote.

It is important to recall that this genocide was not the last of its kind. By recognizing that the Ottoman empire of the time engineered the genocide of thousands of women and children by leaving them to die of hunger and of their wounds in the Turkish desert, Canada's parliament could recognize one of the great genocides of this century, not the only one, unfortunately, but one of the major ones.

I believe it is up to parliament to show its colours, to show that the genocide committed by the Ottoman empire is unacceptable to a country like Canada and to show that the Parliament of Canada deplores this event, if I may call it that, in its most negative sense. Let parliament therefore show not only how much it deplores an event like the one a few years ago, as in Rwanda, and the one many years ago in fascist Nazi Germany, but that it deplores as well other events of importance to the Armenian people and those of Armenian origin who are now Canadian citizens.

It is important in my opinion to resolve this debate once and for all. Other countries have passed motions. The French government and senate have adopted a motion. I know other governments have done so too.

We in Canada must show our fellow citizens of Armenian origin that we understand what happened, that we recognize that Armenians were murdered in 1915 in the Ottoman empire. We must, once and for all, stand on the side of the righteous, and the Parliament of Canada must pass the motion by the member for Laval Centre.

[Criminal Code, October 17th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, I remind the member opposite that the employment insurance program is working, and is working very well. The very reason it was created was to respond, in part, to the needs of these individuals.

I do not know what those who are going to demonstrate on Parliament Hill tomorrow are thinking, but I sincerely wonder how aware they are of the efforts their employer—if their employer is Air Canada—has made to find a solution with the department.

I can tell the member that we expect to receive a request to approve work sharing from Air Canada shortly and that, when we do, we will pass it along to a team, within the department which was put together for that purpose and which will proceed as quickly as possible.

I emphasize—and I say this to the member—that the employment insurance program is there to help Air Canada employees. The department will work with Air Canada, as it has already begun to do. We have great hope that this program will work very well in the days to come.

[Criminal Code, October 17th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, there is no doubt the employees of Air Canada have faced difficult, if not extremely difficult, days and weeks. There is no doubt that all employees in air transportation will be profoundly affected by the announced layoffs.

We have just read in today's paper of other possible layoffs, especially in the Montreal area. Our government knows very well that, where jobs are involved, it is already difficult enough to deal with the precariousness of some of them.

I would like to assure my colleague opposite that we are doing everything in our power to help the employees affected and their company, in this time of uncertainty and great difficulty.

And what about Air Canada employees? The Minister of Human Resources Development has expressed this same message of concern about employees who have been laid off and those who may be very soon to the representatives of Air Canada, when she met them at the beginning of the month.

I believe it is important to look at the chronology of what the department, and the minister in particular, have done. She again made herself perfectly clear on this at another subsequent meeting with representatives of the department and of Air Canada at which programs available from HRDC to help their employees were discussed.

The job share program is precisely one of the measures HRDC has proposed to Air Canada.

I have been asked by a number of people just what this job sharing is all about. It is a very interesting program, one that does not necessarily suit all companies, but which could be put in place in the case of Air Canada, for example, or any other company that meets the program criteria.

It is intended to help employers forced to take austerity measures, and this means that layoffs may be avoided.

How can this result be achieved? The work week is shortened, and wages are reduced accordingly. HRDC lets the workers draw EI benefits for the days they do not work, which helps compensate for the reduction in wages.

So, in participating workplaces, employees receive partial salaries but also draw employment insurance benefits.

The main advantage of this program is what it has to offer employees. Not only does it help lessen the difficulties surrounding layoff, but it also helps workers retain their skills and continue to make profitable use of them in their work.

The next step between the employers and the department was a meeting between departmental and Air Canada representatives. So far, discussions have mainly focused on job sharing as a means of reducing the number of layoffs.

Now the ball is in the airlines' and unions' court, as they have to look at the mechanisms of application they would like to see put in place in connection with the job sharing agreements.

I am confident at this time that good will and flexibility will make it possible for us to support one or more job sharing agreements in the airline industry.

[Laval Chamber of Commerce and Industry, October 17th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, recently, the Laval chamber of commerce and industry presented a very positive report of its activities in 2000-01 and introduced its new president, Danielle Savard.

Ms. Savard is the second woman to be chosen as president of the Laval chamber of commerce and industry, which has been in existence for 35 years. She is committed to developing new alliances and strategies with local economic sectors in an effort to build on the huge progress made in recent years.

I therefore wish long life to the Laval chamber of commerce and industry and welcome to its new president. I have no doubt Danielle Savard will ensure the success of the undertakings of the Laval chamber of commerce and industry.

[Blood Samples Act, October 16th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, I wish to be recorded as having voted in favour of this bill.

[World Skills Competition, October 15th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, in September, I travelled to Korea to attend, on behalf of the Minister of Human Resources Development, the 36th Compétition internationale des compétences/World Skills Competition. The Canadian team that was entered in that event won two medals and achieved nine international standards.

This international competition provided an opportunity to Canadian students who had already won at the national level to test their skills against teams from 35 countries. Some of the winners and coaches on the Canadian teams, which took one silver and one bronze medal, are residents of Laval.

Again, the Canadian know-how and talent were honoured during that international competition. I congratulate all those who contributed to this success.

[Questions on the Order Paper, October 5th, 2001]

Madam Speaker, I ask that all questions be allowed to stand.