Human Resources committee  Good afternoon, everyone. I'll take it from here, but you should know that Mr. Neumann's notes are in English and that my mother tongue is French. First, I would like to thank you for hosting the United Steelworkers at the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Socia

Human Resources committee  I am on the French channel. I could close it, maybe that would make things easier.

Human Resources committee  I'll try another headset. Can you hear me better now?

Human Resources committee  Recently, on Quebec's North Shore, there was the situation of Cliffs Resources, a company that went bankrupt and left many of our retirees without drug coverage, but more importantly, with a truncated pension. I can tell you that when a retiree has their pension cut by more than

Human Resources committee  I'll start with the hotel, restaurant and tourism sectors. It is definitely essential, in our view, to protect those workers. Even though many of them aren't seasonal workers, the summer months account for the bulk of their hours to qualify for employment insurance. As everyone k

Human Resources committee  I'll give you a concrete example. Let's say a business goes bankrupt with a $10-million deficit in pension fund obligations. Banks would be paid before workers, as would insurance companies, municipalities and school boards. If 500 people were already retired, that would mean the

Human Resources committee  Some provinces have special funds, but not Quebec. One thing that would help all Canadians would be to amend the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act. That would be quick and easy. It's the only way to protect affected pensioners in the short term. In normal times, businesses go bankru

Human Resources committee  Yes, we certainly expect to see bankruptcies caused by the pandemic. In 2020, it's inconceivable that, in Canada, the interests of banks and insurance companies take precedence over the interests of retirees. We need only look to the income tax returns retirees file every year,

Industry committee  Thank you very much, Madam Chair. I would like to point out that we represent 225,000 workers all across Canada, of whom 60,000 are in Quebec. Pension plans are a subject of great importance to the Steelworkers. I would also like to thank all of the parliamentarians we have met

Industry committee  Thank you, Mr. Lemire. I think there will be no impact on Canadian taxpayers. Bill C‑253 would be zero cost to the government, since we are not asking that pension plans be financed. As my colleague Nicolas Lapierre said, this bill will even help companies to recover. When a b

Industry committee  Workers, that is one thing. Take me, for example. I am 43 years old and I work for the United Steelworkers. If the union declared bankruptcy tomorrow morning, a portion of the pension benefits I would be paid later would be reduced. However, at 43, I would be able to find a new j

Industry committee  I am happy to see this consensus. I also think the time is right. Everyone has softened their position a bit. I am pleased to see that Mr. Poilievre seems to support the bill. I think that parliamentarians, together, can set politics aside to move forward on this issue once and f

Industry committee  We have to acknowledge that the government has done a remarkable job to support the Canadian economy, particularly with the CERB and the Canada emergency wage subsidy. But all good things come to an end. I believe that when these assistance measures end, Canadian businesses are g

Industry committee  Thank you for the question, Mr. Duvall. We are both former Stelco employees. I know the bill is not perfect, but there is a sense of urgency during this pandemic. We have to take the opportunity offered by the present circumstances. We must not get bogged down in minor details.

Industry committee  I will talk about priority rather than a solution. Do we prefer to prioritize the most vulnerable people in our society, like seniors who have worked for 30 or 40 or 50 years, or workers my age, who may still be able to find another job and continue to live decently? Personally,