Raynald Blais

[Rail Transport, May 2nd, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, the future of rail transport is still under threat in Gaspé. Even though representations were made to the former government, very few guarantees were given to the public. A petition currently circulating in the region calls on the federal government to intervene.

The Matapédia-Chandler line is for sale. Can the Minister of Transport tell us what he plans to do to ensure that the train will continue to be operational in Gaspé?

[Public Health Agency of Canada Act, May 2nd, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, I would like the New Democrat member to be a little more specific in regard to his fears about the bureaucracy. In his speech, or in the answers he gave just a few minutes ago, he referred to a fear, an apprehension in that regard. I would like to hear him speak to that subject.

[Respecting International Bridges and Tunnels Act, May 1st, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, I rise to ask my colleague for further information about the amount of responsibility that the federal government should assume when it transfers the management of certain infrastructure. Unfortunately, there is an enormous mess in the fisheries in regard to the Fisheries and Oceans facilities for small craft harbours. My colleague came to the Gaspésie and Îles-de-la-Madeleine region just recently to look into the railway infrastructure issues. This shows that when someone is responsible for a particular file or sector, there has to be money, too, or else we end up with a bill like the one that the Liberals introduced last year on heritage lighthouses. It was all very good in principle, but when it came time to put the principles into action and get concrete results, it turned out that there was many a slip 'twixt the cup and the lip.

[Federal Accountability Act, April 26th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to take the opportunity to sincerely thank my colleague for his clearsightedness, but in particular for his sense of responsibility, because I think his response to the question that was asked earlier demonstrates a good deal of responsibility. There is in fact no electoral timetable in mind. This bill must surely not be dictated by the electoral timetable of any party.

Given the preceding question, it was my impression that the government had an election timetable in mind. It wants to get this done quickly so that it can move into an election and say what good work it has done.

Furthermore, I think we should underscore the sense of responsibility that the members of the Bloc Québécois have shown, and my colleague in particular. I therefore invite his comments on what I have said on this issue.

[Petitions, April 24th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, I am tabling a petition today from the people of the riding of Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine. They are asking the federal Minister of Justice to recommend a full review of the case of Wilbert Coffin, who was sentenced to death in 1954 and hung on February 10, 1956.

[RESUMPTION OF DEBATE ON ADDRESS IN REPLY, April 24th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to hear my colleague speak about seniors. Does he intend to continue the work begun by the outgoing hon. member for Champlain, Mr. Marcel Gagnon? We must take the time to underscore the work that he has done here. I am sure he is listening to me right now.

So I ask my colleague whether he intends to continue the tireless work that Marcel has had the opportunity to do in recent years for seniors.

[The Gaspé, April 11th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, the Gaspé was recently struck by more bad luck. On March 21, 2006, Fruits de mer Gascons decided to remain closed for this crab fishing season, which means job losses for 280 people. Approximately 130 of them could be relocated to two other plants in the area. The others, however, will be forced to find work elsewhere.

Since jobs are few and far between in the Gaspé, the federal government must intervene. Through the Canadian support program for the economy of Gaspé and the Magdalen Islands, the municipality of Port-Daniel-Gascons could hire a commissioner to promote diversification. That individual could then implement a development strategy for the region and perhaps even help former Fruits de mer Gascons employees develop their entrepreneurial skills.

The minister responsible for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for Quebec Regions must act quickly, because former Fruits de mer Gascons employees will soon be left with no income.

[Resumption of debate on Address in Reply, April 7th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, allow me to congratulate you on your appointment. Bravo!

Before starting, I would also like to mention my re-election last January 23, which I attribute not only to the electors of Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine who once again placed their trust in me and the Bloc Québécois, but also to my large and wonderful team. In fact, many people work on an election and it is through team work that we make it through, and somewhat handily.

I would like to announce also that I will be sharing my time with the member for Laval. So, we will come back to that.

Now for the throne speech. It is easy to say, at first, that there are no surprises and that it is fairly predictable. There are no surprises because it contains more or less what we heard in the days and weeks immediately preceding the speech. There are no real surprises, because we have to expect that the government will act as a minority government--one with a very slim hold on power--and that it must consider that it will have to deal with the opposition in order to move forward on certain contentious bills or issues. For this reason the best thing about this throne speech is the lack of arrogance, because it recognizes that there is a minority government. I think it is worthwhile pointing this out.

However, the throne speech lacks both substance and a timetable, particularly for some very important matters. Let us say that there are not necessarily oversights, but gaps. Why do I say it lacks substance? It is only a few pages long, contains what was expected, but without expanding on the themes and without providing details. In the matter of fiscal imbalance the speech is incredibly vague.

The fiscal imbalance, as you know full well, causes a huge financial burden on Quebec. The word “huge” can also be used to describe Ottawa's surpluses. That is why we talked about it so much during the election campaign. I talked about it during my first election campaign in 2000, and again in 2004 and in 2006. The surpluses are in Ottawa and the needs are in Quebec and in the provinces. That is the fiscal imbalance in a nutshell. You will notice that when we talk about this issue there is no deadline. Well there needs to be one. It would have been nice to see.

The opposition parties are able to work. The Bloc Québécois, in particular, does intense, disciplined and responsible work. We had a chance to present different options to the previous federal government. Today we are making proposals to the Conservative government, but there is an urgent need right now.

This brings me to one of the major gaps in the Speech from the Throne: employment insurance and everything that comes with it. The Gaspésie and Îles-de-la-Madeleine area, as you know, relies on seasonal employment in the forestry industry, in tourism and in the fishery. As the hon. member for Argenteuil—Papineau—Mirabel pointed out a few days ago, it is not the workers who are seasonal, it is the work. Individuals want to work year round, but in forestry, agriculture, the fishery or even tourism, it is not possible.

There have been some attempts and proposed initiatives, but, again, federal support is needed for those initiatives, or there needs to be acknowledgment of the fact that these people want to work the year round, and that is just not possible in the fisheries and in tourism, in particular. I will come back to this in my speech today.

Moving on, we need a system called the employment insurance program, but I continue to call it an unemployment insurance program.

I continue to call it that because we need to keep in mind the purpose of this insurance program which allows people, who are in between jobs, to receive a decent and suitable income.

Benefits cover 55% of salary. That is not very much for an employee in tourism. Often their schedules vary, for example, they might work 15 hours one time and 20 hours another. They might work more at particular times of the year, such as during the summer season when the Gaspésie and Îles-de-la-Madeleine area receives more tourists. These workers earn minimum wage and it should be noted that it is mostly women in this situation. Whether we are talking about the fisheries, factory work—what is left of it—or tourism, it is mainly women in these underpaid jobs. They receive minimum wage and work varied schedules. You can imagine what 55% of not much adds up to. It adds up to almost nothing.

That is why it is important to improve the unemployment insurance program. The Conservatives already made cuts to this program when they were in government in the 1980s. The Liberals promised to changed things and improve the situation. At the time, Jean Chrétien, leader of the opposition, even wrote a letter on the issue before he became Prime Minister in 1993. The program underwent more cuts and was absolutely guttered. This was a major blow to regions like the one I represent and it accelerated the exodus.

If the past is an indication of the future, it is very important for the opposition parties to ensure that the members across the way, those in the government, truly do their work. They have to behave much more responsibly than their predecessors, who have done nothing but cause harm to these women, men and young people.

The unemployment insurance program puts young people and women in very difficult situations. That is why we must absolutely improve the system by a set deadline.

The federal government is raking in enormous surpluses while Quebec has to bear a huge financial burden. This illustrates how important it is to have a short deadline instead of a vague deadline and just intentions.

During the 2006 election campaign, the Conservatives promised not only to recognize the fiscal imbalance, but also to correct it. The Speech from the Throne was one of their earliest opportunities to move from talk to action. Unfortunately, the government did not give clear, precise and convincing indications of how it would address this major challenge.

This challenge is indeed a major one. The people and the members of the Bloc Québécois—and me in particular as the representative for Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine—have high expectations of this government. They promised a lot during the election campaign. The challenges are huge.

I would like to discuss the initial responses we have received concerning fisheries. My colleagues and I know that the seal hunt has been condemned internationally by the uninformed, the misinformed, and the ill intentioned. I am talking mainly about Brigitte Bardot and, more recently, Pamela Anderson, not to mention Paul McCartney. Opponents of the hunt put out a poster demanding that the seals be protected. They justify this demand by implying that baby seals are being killed, but this is not the case. Whitecoats have not been hunted since 1987. The poster showed Brigitte Bardot standing in front of microphones with an actual baby laid out on the ice behind her. That is pretty shameless.

Unfortunately, members of the Conservative Party did not respond appropriately. I will leave it at that. I may have the opportunity during the question and comment period to delve deeper into the subject.

In closing, I would note that I am sharing my time with the member for Laval, who will take the floor shortly.

[Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply, April 7th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, allow me to congratulate you on your election. I would also like to thank the constituents of Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine for putting their trust in me and the Bloc Québécois for the second time in a row.

I have listened carefully to my colleague's remarks. To me, it sounded like he was listing accomplishments. But the Conservative government came to power just a few months ago. At this point, they can really talk only of intentions, not actions.

I would also like to remind the members opposite that they were elected to form a minority government. As a result, they will be under scrutiny. All parliamentarians are under scrutiny, of course, but government members more intensely so.

The member's comments verge on arrogance. He was practically reading a record of results. He went on and on about the past, blaming the Liberals for everything and promising that things will be different now. I simply want to say that this government will be judged by the decisions it makes and the actions it takes.

As such, I would recommend that the member pay closer attention to what is actually going on and frame his statements more as intentions. I would suggest that he be more careful about what he says.

[Rail Transportation, November 28th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, the Matapédia-Chandler rail line is at considerable risk. The owners of this section of the Gaspé rail line have already indicated their intention to stop all transportation of goods and maintenance service on their rail network.

According to the Canadian Transportation Agency, this section will be sold or dismantled in a year and a half from now. The loss of it will clearly be devastating to the Gaspé. It would not only have a direct effect on the activities on the Chandler-Gaspé section, but it would make it extremely difficult to establish new businesses in the southern part of the Gaspé, it would threaten the future development of the port of Gaspé and would halt VIA Rail operations as well.

Our region simply cannot afford the loss of its railway network.

The federal government must tell us now, clearly, what it plans to do to enable our region to keep its rail network.