Raymonde Folco

[Government Response to Petitions, October 5th, 2001]

Madam Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8), I have the honour to table in both official languages the government's response to two petitions.

[Employment Insurance, October 5th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, our government has set up an employment insurance policy which is working well. We know that HRDC officials spent time with the airlines and the unions yesterday, in what I understand was a very helpful meeting.

This concerns the airlines and other industries that have laid off people in large numbers.

[Literacy, October 4th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, recently, on behalf of the Government of Canada, I presented a cheque for $14,000 to an organization in my riding of Laval West the name of which is “Au jardin de la famille de Fabreville”.

This funding, which is part of federal-provincial literacy initiatives, will allow the organization to pursue its objective of facilitating participants’ social, economic and cultural integration.

It is especially important to encourage all Canadians to take up the challenge of literacy. I am proud that the Government of Canada has made a commitment to take specific measures to support literacy and organizations such as Au Jardin de la famille de Fabreville.

[The Acadians, October 3rd, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, I can assure my colleague opposite that the government and the minister in particular are in the process of drafting their response to the recommendations of the House standing committee that looked at the EI issue. We will respond to the committee report within the timeframe prescribed by the act.

I can assure my colleague and all members of the House that this concern about a certain clientele that is not covered under the employment insurance plan is shared by government members as well.

That is why, over the last few years, we made changes to the plan to ensure that it meets the needs of Canadians and is better adapted to the changing labour market.

Most recently under Bill C-2, the bill on employment insurance which the House passed, we eliminated the intensity rule because it did not improve workforce attachment. We adjusted the clawback provision which no longer applies to Canadians who seek temporary income support for the first time or those who receive special benefits.

Under Bill C-2 parents coming back to work after taking care of young children qualify for regular EI benefits with the same number of hours required of other workers.

Each year we assess the impact of the plan on Canadians across the country. We will continue to ensure that it is well adapted to the changing labour market and to the needs of Canadians. Our plan is flexible and it meets the needs of Canada's labour force.

[Airline Industry, October 1st, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, requests concerning work sharing are very specific and must come from the industry itself.

There is no doubt that the minister and the department are prepared to hear requests. We are extremely concerned about the state of the economy at the moment and how the department might meet the needs of those employees who have been laid off.

[Airline Industry, October 1st, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, the government is concerned about the jobs in the Canadian airline industry, including those at Air Canada. For this reason, the minister is continuing to meet representatives of Air Canada, its employees and the union, as my colleague has already mentioned.

Tomorrow, the minister will meet union representatives to hear their concerns and their proposal on plans for those laid off in order to ensure that the employment insurance program meets their needs.

[Employment Insurance, September 28th, 2001]

—I have already told the House we are working on the report and will release it very soon.

[Employment Insurance, September 28th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, this government favours a balanced approach to employment insurance. We are trying to balance our obligation to Canadians to help them if they are in need with that of protecting the integrity of our social programs.

As the report on the performance of our department indicated, we realized savings of $553 million in the employment insurance account in the last fiscal year.

As to the second question—

[Employment Insurance, September 28th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, I can only repeat the answer that I gave a moment ago.

There have been a number of factors that have meant that the work has slowed down. We are working on this right now.

I would like to add that the employment insurance program is there for Canadians who face layoffs. HRDC officials are working now to ensure that employees affected by layoffs are able to access the benefits they are entitled to.

[Employment Insurance, September 28th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, the increase in EI claims reflects the impact of a downturn in the economy that is being felt in some parts of the country and in the economy itself. In addition, recent work stoppages have greatly affected productivity. This has limited the number of workload reduction options, that is, overtime, and has added to the backlogs in many offices around the country.

We are working to reduce this backlog to provide the level of service that Canadians have come to expect. Our goal is to maintain service levels to 28 days for new claims.