Finance committee  Yes, there is a $100-million reserve for pension plans. There is also a system whereby employees who lose their jobs at age 50 do not have to wait until they are 65 to transfer money into a lock-in retirement account or LIRA. These people can therefore find a job or get employmen

Finance committee  The FTQ, to which we are affiliated, made a submission containing a series of recommendations. It includes several measures, such as contribution holidays. We suggest a pension insurance system that would oblige all pension plans to make contributions, so that in the event of ban

Finance committee  We did submit it, but it is not translated.

Finance committee  You will have all of the recommendations.

Finance committee  Good morning. Thank you for agreeing to meet with us to talk about the difficulties we are experiencing. With me this morning is Germain Auclair, who will perhaps speak more to the problems specific to Smurfit-Stone, which was granted protection under the Companies' Creditors Ar

Subcommittee on Canadian Industrial Sectors committee  Absolutely. With very few exceptions, it's what we've been seeking for two years. In Quebec, we're working to develop a policy on the use of wood in the construction of public buildings, together with the municipalities, universities and the department of natural resources. The p

Subcommittee on Canadian Industrial Sectors committee  We believe so much in the forest sector that the FTQ, through its Solidarity Fund, has just acquired land from Abitibi for $70 million. If we didn't believe in it, we wouldn't have put money into it.

Subcommittee on Canadian Industrial Sectors committee  The importance of training is clear. It's a troubleshooting mechanism. It isn't easy for people with 25, 28 or 30 years of service to sit down on a school bench in order to go back on the job market. People would like to take short-term training, of six to 18 weeks, for example.

Subcommittee on Canadian Industrial Sectors committee  The first thing to do, in the short term, is to find the necessary financing, loan guarantees that will enable us to maintain what's in place. Obviously, in some sectors, paper, for example, depending on the markets, were not working to keep all the plants open. We're working to

Subcommittee on Canadian Industrial Sectors committee  We've had no response to date, apart from the announcement of $170 million over two years, which unfortunately won't save what we have in place. So we've obtained nothing for training or an extension of or access to employment insurance. So it's quite clear that, if we think of t

Subcommittee on Canadian Industrial Sectors committee  Mr. Gourde, it's true that R & D investment is very important. However, given the industry's current situation, if you can't get through the crisis, you'll be facing a problem when the recovery comes. People don't register for training courses because their parents who work i

Subcommittee on Canadian Industrial Sectors committee  As part of the consolidation, we know that, for all kinds of reasons, the forest sector in Québec did not produce as much as expected. So there have been reforms to reduce wood volumes. We've taken part in all kinds of ways to consolidate this industry. If we wanted to retain the

Subcommittee on Canadian Industrial Sectors committee  Good morning. I am vice-president of the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada. As the name indicates, my union represents three major areas of activity, including the forest and wood products sector. We belong to the group that is introducing the motion Mr. Ch