House of Commons photoLost his last election, in 2011, with 15% of the vote.
Official Languages April 16th, 2007
Mr. Speaker, the handling of bilingual signage on the display panels at Vimy during the 90th anniversary celebrations speaks volumes about this government's concern for the French language.
How can the Minister of National Defence explain to this House that no one in the Canadian military is capable of writing the panels in proper French? Do we not all agree that this is an affront to the French fact within the Canadian military?
Annette Paiement Brassard March 30th, 2007
Mr. Speaker, on March 7, Annette Paiement Brassard of Gatineau celebrated her 100th birthday. Mrs. Paiement Brassard was born to a large family and, with her late husband Alfred Brassard, founded her own family of three children, Suzanne, Denise and Claude.
In addition to being an exemplary mother, she worked at the Canadian International Paper mill cafeteria in Gatineau, as well as at the Pogan, Bryson and Rapide Farmer factories in the Outaouais. Mrs. Paiement Brassard was active in her community as a member of St. Vincent de Paul and the Daughters of Isabella and as a founding member of the Anneau d'or club.
Mrs. Paiement Brassard is very good at cards, an experienced gardener, and an excellent cook known for her succulent strawberry jam. She is much appreciated by her family members and the residents of the Champlain seniors' home in Gatineau.
The Bloc Québécois and I wish her a happy 100th birthday.
Employment Insurance Act March 23rd, 2007
Mr. Speaker, it is a great pleasure for me to take part in this debate and to deliver a speech on Bill C-265, An Act to amend the Employment Insurance Act (qualification for and entitlement to benefits), which aims at improving the employment insurance plan. I take the opportunity to salute my colleague from Acadie—Bathurst. I remember his early days in politics, which were very inspiring as a matter of fact. He used to put the Liberals in their place; they had been in power for a bit too long. He did the same for the Conservatives who, before them, were also not much help to the workers who had contributed and who are still contributing to the employment insurance plan. Just like the previous government, the present government continues not to give back to the workers the money they deserve and need when times get tough. The Bloc Québécois endorses the member's position. This is frankly an excellent initiative on the part of my NDP colleague from Acadie—Bathurst.
First and foremost, I would like to emphasize that this is a good bill. Here are three points showing this. First, by lowering the threshold for becoming a major attachment claimant to 360 hours, it makes special benefits available to those with that level of insurable employment. Second, the bill sets the benefit payable to 55% of the average weekly insurable earnings during the highest-paid 12 weeks in the 12-month period preceding the interruption of earnings. Third, the bill reduces the qualifying period before receiving benefits and removes the distinctions made in the qualifying period on the basis of the regional unemployment rate. This is very good.
This bill touches on a number of important points. First, employment insurance is no longer an assistance program. It has become a hidden tax because not all those who contribute have access to the program when they become unemployed. Under the Liberals, the employment insurance fund was used to balance the budget even though that is not at all the purpose of employment insurance. Although the Conservatives voted in favour of an independent employment insurance fund, the surpluses generated remain in the consolidated fund and are still being used for other purposes. That was the case last September 25 and with this budget as well. We do not have an independent employment insurance fund and this issue must remain in the forefront. This is a priority for the Bloc Québécois.
Another important point is the Auditor General's report of November 23, 2004, which reported at the time that the government continued—as she said—to loot the employment insurance fund despite the intentions of parliamentarians. Furthermore, the powers of the Employment Insurance Commission, whose membership includes contributors, will apparently be suspended for yet another year. That happened in 2004 and it has not changed. This situation is deplorable.
Conservatives voted against improvements to the employment insurance program in Bill C-278 and against the Bloc Québécois Bill C-269. It is about time that these individuals, who have been elected, respond to the needs of citizens, of the workers who need this fund—which is an insurance fund—when they lose their jobs.
As for the Bloc Québécois, it is still dead set against the looting of the employment insurance fund and proposes, among other things, that an independent fund and commission be established. The Bloc Québécois also demands that the federal government pay back misused money. That is very important. Money taken from the employment insurance fund must be returned to those who paid into it, the employers and employees, for when it is needed by workers who lose their jobs.
Improving the system for workers in a vulnerable situation is a matter of principle that should be defended. In the past two years, the Bloc Québécois has worked tirelessly on improving this system and we have another example of that today.
The Standing Committee on Human Resources, Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities tabled or passed in its report of February 2005, no fewer than 28 very important recommendations that have to be considered and incorporated into the bill in order to respond to the needs of the workers. I will not read the 28 items, but I will cite a few to illustrate the importance and urgency of swiftly moving forward with the bill we are talking about today.
First, for example, the committee recommends a uniform 360 hour qualification requirement. This criterion, which was proposed by the committee at the time, is now in the bill. The committee also recommended a calculation based on the best 12 weeks of insurable employment; that is how benefits should be calculated for those who lose their jobs. The committee recommended increasing the benefit rate from 55% to 60% of average earnings before workers end up in a vulnerable situation. The committee also recommended that the government consider extending employment insurance coverage to self-employed workers. This is very important. This is a situation that did not exist before, or was quite rare at one time. Now it is a reality and these people should have the opportunity to receive employment insurance by contributing to it, of course, and being eligible for it.
The committee also recommended removing the arm's-length relationship clause within the employment insurance criteria, and eliminating the waiting period for those engaged in approved training. Furthermore, the committee recommended that individuals who take part in training to improve their status and perfect their skills should not be penalized, because they will be taking a course while receiving EI benefits, for instance. I could give countless other arguments, but let us move on.
The bill would reduce the minimum qualifying period to 360 hours of work for everyone—as we heard earlier—but the benefit period would vary with the region and the regional rate of unemployment. In comparison to the current figures, the new system would represent an average increase of five weeks in the benefit period and an increase in the maximum benefit period from 45 to 50 weeks. In regions with high unemployment—13% or more—it would provide between 30 and 50 weeks of benefits, depending on the hours worked and the unemployment rate.
For Quebec's high unemployment regions, however, it would substantially reduce what we call the spring gap or black hole. For example, in Gaspé, where the unemployment rate as of October 7, 2006, was 17.6%, a person who worked 360 hours would be eligible for 36 weeks of benefits.
I could go on. Nonetheless, we can clearly see the relevance of this bill, which is extremely important for all workers throughout Quebec and Canada.
Quarantine Act March 23rd, 2007
Mr. Speaker, in her eloquent speech, my colleague talked about the World Health Organization and Taiwan. I would like her to tell us more about this topic.
Salon du livre de l'Outaouais March 23rd, 2007
Mr. Speaker, under the honourary presidency of Ms. Pauline Gill, the 28th Salon du livre de l'Outaouais was held March 1 to 4 at the Palais des Congrès in Gatineau.
The theme of this year's edition was the environment. With the slogan “Mon livre, mon uniVERT”, the Outaouais book fair offered its visitors of all ages a number of activities and a variety of events to encourage literacy and promote current literature. Activities included quizzes, comic book quizzes, seminars, book launches, discussions and a series of events called “Tout le salon en parle”, hosted by distinguished guest Richard Petit and his Fou du Salon.
On behalf of the Bloc Québécois, I would like to commend the tremendous success of the 28th Salon du livre de l'Outaouais. In spite of harsh winter conditions, the event welcomed over 27,600 visitors. Congratulations to the organizers who contributed once again to carrying on the work of the event's founder, the late Jacques Poirier.
Mr. Speaker, here is an example of my concerns. Once again, I would like to quote Mr. Ducharme:
What will happen in a future situation when a unilingual anglophone officer finds himself or herself commanding unilingual francophone soldiers? Under battlefield conditions, this becomes a matter of life and death. Organizing military units by language will deepen the isolation and lack of understanding between linguistic groups; this can only serve to increase tensions between anglophone and francophone soldiers at a time when there has arguably never been a clearer need for solidarity in the ranks.
The Minister for la Francophonie and Official Languages must demand that the Minister of National Defence go back to the drawing board and create with a model that respects both our soldiers and the Official Languages Act.
Mr. Speaker, on March 2 I asked the Minister for la Francophonie and Official Languages how she could be satisfied with the National Defence Official Languages Program Transformation Model of October 2006 when Graham Fraser, the Official Languages Commissioner, pointed out in committee that the best a unilingual francophone soldier could hope for in the Canadian armed forces is to be an infantry soldier at Valcartier. He went on to say that evidently it is possible for a unilingual anglophone to rise to the rank of brigadier general.
The Commissioner also stated, “It is practically impossible to establish a challenging career in the Canadian Forces if you are a unilingual Francophone”.
In response to my questions about this situation, the insulting reply by the parliamentary secretary, the Conservative member for Beauport—Limoilou, was quite discriminatory for francophones in Quebec and Canada: “—the Bloc throws its little temper tantrum”. Such language truly shows little regard for la Francophonie in Quebec and Canada.
It is an insult to anyone concerned about the rights of francophones to have to endure the disgraceful attitude of the federal government regarding its obligations with respect to official languages in the Canadian armed forces.
It is even more insulting to hear the Minister for la Francophonie and Official Languages say in this House that she had the backing of the Official Languages Commissioner in developing this new direction. Commissioner Graham Fraser's response to this was as follows: “Neither Dyane Adam (his predecessor) nor I have endorsed this new functional approach”. It is shameful of the minister and the hon. member for Louis-Saint-Laurent and of the Conservative government. Seeking credibility from people who are concerned about la Francophonie in Quebec and Canada by telling such a falsehood speaks volumes about the moral value of their linguistic approach to our soldiers and our francophone soldiers.
With the Canadian Forces turning around and no longer requiring its high ranking officials to be bilingual, the Conservative government is showing its reformist side from the Manning days and its Alliance side from the days of the hon. member for Okanagan—Coquihalla, and is not fulfilling its responsibilities under the Official Languages Act. This is further evidence that the Minister for la Francophonie and Official Languages accepts this irresponsible turnaround when it comes to the Canadian Forces honouring their responsibilities under the Official Languages Act. The Canadian Forces official languages track record was bad enough when the Liberals were in power.
Allow me to quote Yves Ducharme, the national president of the Agriculture Union of the Public Service Alliance of Canada, which represents, among others, language teachers at the Department of National Defence training facilities:
In moving to adopt these new regulations, it would seem to us that the Minister of National Defence is either unaware of the importance of the Official Languages Act, or has turned a blind eye to its provisions. Either case is unacceptable.
I heartily agree.
Canada Labour Code March 21st, 2007
moved that Bill C-257, An Act to amend the Canada Labour Code (replacement workers), as amended, be concurred in at report stage.
International Day of La Francophonie March 20th, 2007
Mr. Speaker, many Francophone countries have been celebrating the international day of La Francophonie since 1988. Every year, this day gives 200 million francophones an opportunity to celebrate the language they share.
The French language is a precious legacy that lies at the very heart of La Francophonie. It is also a gateway to modernity, and a tool for communication, contemplation and creation.
In Quebec, Francofête celebrates La Francophonie all month long. This year, Francofête invites us to speak to the world in French and reminds us that Francophones around the world all bring their own colour and flavour to the French language. Our wealth of words, terms and figurative expressions deserves to be shared.
The Bloc Québécois and I invite Francophones on all five continents to proudly celebrate the French language.
Robert Lalonde March 19th, 2007
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, as part of the Francofête 2007 celebrations, Robert Lalonde received the award for Mérite du français dans la culture during the Gala de la Francoville. The recipient of this award is chosen by the Union des artistes, the Union des écrivaines et écrivains québécois, the Société des auteurs de Radio, Télévision et Cinéma, and the Office québécois de la langue française.
Robert Lalonde joins a prestigious list of recipients, including Gilles Vigneault, Clémence DesRochers, Richard Desjardins, and Fred Pellerin. Robert Lalonde is known for his contribution to theatre, his roles on the big screen and the small screen, and his critically acclaimed writing. The Bloc Québécois and I would like to acknowledge Robert Lalonde's remarkable dedication to the promotion of the French language throughout his career.