Robert Aubin

[VIA Rail, June 13th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I think this is a simple question. Will the Conservatives make the announcement before the House rises for the summer?

The service cuts that my colleague mentioned are not the only ones. Rail service between Montreal and Halifax will be offered only two days a week in the winter, instead of the current six possible departures. The trains that serve the people of Rimouski, Rivière-du-Loup and all of eastern Quebec are being cut. Not only does this sabotage a mode of transportation that is practical, environmentally friendly, safe and historic in Canada, but it will also undermine regional economies even more.

Are these cuts just another way to force the regions to pay for the Conservatives' ideological cuts?

[VIA Rail, June 13th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, that is just another empty answer. Yet it was a simple question. Will the Conservatives make the announcement before—

[Extension of Sitting Hours, June 11th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I have listened attentively to the hon. member's presentation, with some admiration for his experience, his eloquence, and his ability to pass off half-truths as the whole truth. What more evidence do we need than this extension of sitting hours that we are being asked for? We are now being asked to believe that, finally, additional time is being allowed for debate in this House, but the list of bills that we are going to have to study keeps getting longer.

Let me do some simple calculations for those who are watching. Imagine we have one hour to debate one bill or two hours to debate five bills. In my opinion, the math can be done quite quickly, and everyone understands quite well that what is actually being proposed is once more a reduction in the time in which to debate each one of the bills that the government wants passed before the summer recess.

However, I am ready to listen to the proposals for a possible compromise on the amount of time allowed for various bills. I feel that there would be more chance of that if we had the feeling that we were listened to on at least one occasion, but really, that is extremely rare.

Is there a specific proposal on the table?

[Housing, June 11th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, for a year now, the Government of Quebec and the NDP have been asking the federal government to help more than 1,000 families that have been forced to rebuild their basements because of the presence of pyrrhotite in the concrete.

Since the NDP made this request, the Conservatives have still not reviewed the federal standards on the composition of concrete and have still not provided any financial support to the families that have had to spend an average of $200,000 on repairs.

The Government of Quebec, the municipalities and even businesses have already done their share. Why are the Conservatives dragging their feet on this file?

[The Budget, June 5th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, a lot can happen in a week. While hundreds of organizations oppose Bill C-38 because of its despicable content, now mayors from across Canada also oppose it, because the government likes to cut corners when the time comes to consult Canadians. Among other things, the mayors want all changes to legislation on the environment and on fisheries to be properly examined in committee, so that Canadians' voices can be heard.

Will the government stop going it alone and start listening to the municipalities?

[Business of Supply, May 31st, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, forgive me if I do not agree with everything the hon. member said.

Last week, when I was in my riding, one thing in particular struck me about this employment insurance reform bill.

Obviously, I was expecting strong and intense reactions from workers, but I also noticed that many employers were questioning—this word is not strong enough—the fact that they will have to invest in training seasonal workers year after year. It is not the employees who do not want to work year-round. The very nature of the job makes it impossible for them to do so.

Employers are afraid that they will have to devote more money to their company's production or productivity since their employees will not be able to return each year if they are obligated to accept another job an hour away that pays only 70% of their usual salary. Employers are saying that this will increase their costs considerably and will also make it harder to find workers.

What does the minister think about that?

[Rail Transportation, May 31st, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, we now know that with the Conservatives, the reality always lies in what is left unsaid. For example, the Conservatives never said that they were going to cut VIA Rail services. These service cuts affect corridors like Gaspé—Moncton, Montreal—Halifax and many other lines in western Canada.

Rather than invest in a Canada-wide forward-looking transportation strategy, why does the government take an economic approach that amounts to robbing Peter to pay Paul?

[Continuation and Resumption of Rail Service Operations Legislation, May 29th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the last thing that would occur to me would be to accuse my hon. colleague of beating around the bush.

In view of the disputes at Canada Post and Air Canada, and now at CP, has my colleague seen anything in his riding, which is particularly affected, to indicate that bargaining between employers and employees is changing?

[Continuation and Resumption of Rail Service Operations Legislation, May 29th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House, as is the case all around, we are obviously always going to be very sensitive to workers losing their income because of disputes. But once again, the question is not well put.

If the minister had not interfered in the negotiations and said that there was going to be a bill anyway, the issue would have probably been settled, because the company would have had significant economic losses to consider.

[Continuation and Resumption of Rail Service Operations Legislation, May 29th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member made a great comment.

I obviously do not need to say that Canada's international image has been quite tarnished over the past few years in a number of areas.

Working conditions in Canada have dealt the latest blow to our credibility internationally. We are telling people that they can come and do business in Canada, that the government will be right behind them and that, on top of this, it will provide a cheap and docile labour force. Above all, we are telling them that workers' rights will be highly regulated and that the government will always be behind employers.

I think we are seeing a major shift in labour relations.