Employment Insurance  Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives caused untold hardship by eliminating access to employment insurance for workers who need it most. In my region and in many regions across the country, in Atlantic Canada and Gaspé, our seasonal industries are key drivers of the economy. The Liber

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I would like to inform my colleague that the 360 hours were, indeed, costed. It would cost $1.2 billion, a hit that the EI fund could easily take, in light of its existing surplus. The 360-hour threshold was supported by 80 groups of Canadians, including unions, ant

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to hear that the Liberals want to repair the damage they caused to employment insurance in the 1990s. A fine way to make positive changes to employment insurance would be to support our motion. I invite my colleague to do so because it will make el

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question. These are the kinds of comments that really get to me. I spent a large part of my career as the executive director of a social reintegration organization for young people experiencing family problems. I saw a large number of yo

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, of course I support the motion. After 20 years of Conservative and Liberal reforms, the EI system is in a pitiful state and cannot provide families with the support they need. The government needs to take action immediately, specifically in the areas of eligibility a

CBC/Radio-Canada  Mr. Speaker, we learned this morning that the CBC/Radio-Canada tower is officially for sale. This plan has raised some serious concerns from the beginning, and there has been no transparency. CBC/Radio-Canada's production capacity is at stake. Management has not offered any guar

CBC/Radio-Canada  Mr. Speaker, such a major transaction will require government approval. At the very least, the government should require transparency from CBC/Radio-Canada. Quebeckers and Montrealers have an attachment to the CBC/Radio-Canada tower. It has a unique status in our cultural histo

Health  Mr. Speaker, in Quebec and Canada, we must provide care based on needs and not on means. The NDP has twice written to the Minister of Health, and I must rise again to ask her to address the matter of ancillary fees in Quebec. Few people, in every one of our ridings, can afford to

Canada Labour Code  Madam Speaker, the Conservatives cannot simply claim to be in favour of transparency and equity, even if every Conservative member tells me that he or she supports workers and unions. In my opinion, when a government interferes in an organization's business and tries to pit its m

Canada Labour Code  Mr. Speaker, I will help my colleague out with his research. In a letter sent to the Conservatives, the Canadian Bar Association said that the Conservatives' bill violated privacy and constitutional rights. Even the Christian Labour Association of Canada called on the government

Canada Labour Code  Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his presentation. People in my riding are also thinking about the repercussions of employees' working conditions. On January 29, 2016, a group called SOS Pauvreté presented a brief on this issue. According to the brief, having a job does not

Canada Labour Code  Madam Speaker, I support what my colleague has to say in favour of workers' rights and improving their working conditions. Before becoming a member of Parliament, I was a proud provincial public servant. I have a great deal of respect for all public servants, who work daily for

Canada Labour Code  Madam Speaker, we support the government's proposed changes in response to the Conservatives' anti-union bills. I represent a riding that has seen its share of companies close their doors. Workers now have increasingly precarious, part-time jobs through no fault of their own. D

International Trade  Mr. Speaker, yesterday, an American giant bought Rona, a Canadian company with 23,000 employees and many suppliers. At the same time, the government is signing the trans-Pacific partnership, an agreement that will cost us 60,000 good jobs, weaken family farms, and accelerate fo

Social Development  Mr. Speaker, now that the Auditor General's report has been released, we expect the government to be clear about the concrete actions it plans to take. The backlog at the Social Security Tribunal of Canada has more than doubled. It is a long and complicated process that takes alm