Finance committee  I only need one minute. If, just as the federal Bill C-36 stipulates, retirees were considered to be preferred creditors, we would not be appearing before you today. That is the federal government's responsibility. It is your statute. If we met with the Bloc member of Parliamen

Finance committee  Could you repeat your question?

Finance committee  Anything we receive will already be greatly appreciated. We noted that Bill C-290 talks about a 22% credit, which would be very satisfactory. We would be very pleased with that.

Finance committee  René, I do not understand the question.

Finance committee  On an annual basis, we have lost between $5,000 and $6,000.

Finance committee  There were between 1,200 and 1,330 employees. There are about 250 left who have not yet reached retirement age. They may be 61, 62 or 63 years old now. You asked why we lost our pensions. Well, it is because the employer, even though it was required under the legislation… That i

Finance committee  We want to know whether the work we have been doing for the last eight years… It is hard to understand. You work hard to get elected for six months, and I know what an election is all about. When you wake up after the election, it is great if you have won, and if you have lost, y

Finance committee  Mr. Chairman—

Finance committee  Good afternoon, Mr. Chairman. My friend, René, was supposed to provide a brief introduction, but we will keep our five minutes. First of all, I would like to thank you for inviting us to appear again. I also want you to know that you are giving us hope. This is the first time, i

Finance committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. I would like to take this final opportunity to thank you. I would also like to say that if the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act had existed in our time, it would have been very helpful. I hope it will be amended for the people from Nortel. We are in the

Finance committee  In Quebec, there is even legislation that deals with private sector pensions. Under this legislation, when a worker decides to take his pension, his spouse must be present. If the spouse does not wish to be present, he or she must sign for what will happen if either of the two sp

Finance committee  That would not help us. We are bankrupt.

Finance committee  What would I do if I were a legislator? There are some things I do not understand. I had been retired for seven years when I was affected by the cut. After 40 years of working in the mine, I went to see the big boss in his office. It was a real heart-to-heart. He thanked me very

Finance committee  You would not believe how widespread the hardship is, how many houses are up for sale and how many families are having difficulty. There was a study in our region. Our population now has one of the highest suicide rates. Currently, 300 retirees are getting Guaranteed Income Suppl

Finance committee  We lost $55 million in pension money and $35 million in benefits, namely life insurance, health insurance, immunization insurance. Nothing is left. We lost $100 million.