Speech (House debate)

{
    "time": "2008-06-03 11:55:00",
    "attribution": {
        "en": "Mr. Bill Siksay",
        "fr": ""
    },
    "content": {
        "en": "<p data-HoCid=\"1132464\" data-originallang=\"en\">Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the question from the hon. member because she has raised a very important point. I did speak about the importance of the forestry sector in my area and in British Columbia, and the number of communities that are suffering under the terrible demise of the forestry industry in British Columbia.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"1132465\" data-originallang=\"en\">We have seen precious little assistance and in fact we have seen the opposite of that. We have seen the sellout of the softwood lumber industry by the policies of the government in recent years. We have seen little assistance to communities that are struggling with the decline in the forestry industry in British Columbia, so I am not surprised that the same thing is happening in her community and in regions in Quebec.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"1132466\" data-originallang=\"en\">It is a very serious problem and these kinds of economic uncertainties are not a priority. The Conservatives are not doing the kind of regional development that is necessary. They are not addressing the specific problems that are facing the forestry industry. They have not had a good plan to deal with the pine beetle in British Columbia nor have they stopped the export of raw logs, and have not ensured that there is secondary production in Canada. They are not ensuring that the EI program meets the needs of people in the regions.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"1132467\" data-originallang=\"en\">The calculations for the EI rates, the number of weeks for which workers are eligible, do not correspond to the areas of need in many of our communities and many of our regions, and in fact lump people in with other areas of higher employment and therefore limit their benefits. I have often heard the member for <a data-HoCid=\"78928\" href=\"/politicians/jean-crowder/\" title=\"Jean Crowder\">Nanaimo\u2014Cowichan</a> talk about how that affects forestry workers in her riding. They are seeing the end of their EI benefits far sooner than they ever expected given those kinds of changes and the inability of the current EI program to respond to the needs of those communities and workers. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"1132468\" data-originallang=\"en\">It is a serious problem across the country and we are not getting that kind of leadership from this government.</p>",
        "fr": "<p data-HoCid=\"1132464\" data-originallang=\"en\">Monsieur le Pr\u00e9sident, j'appr\u00e9cie la question de la d\u00e9put\u00e9e parce qu'elle soul\u00e8ve un point tr\u00e8s important. J'ai parl\u00e9 de l'importance du secteur forestier dans ma r\u00e9gion et en Colombie-Britannique ainsi que des nombreuses collectivit\u00e9s qui souffrent \u00e0 cause du terrible effondrement de l'industrie foresti\u00e8re dans cette province. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"1132465\" data-originallang=\"en\">Il y a eu peu d'aide substantielle; en fait, on n'en a pas vraiment donn\u00e9e. Au cours des derni\u00e8res ann\u00e9es, le gouvernement a brad\u00e9 l'industrie du bois d'oeuvre avec ses politiques. Les collectivit\u00e9s britanno-colombiennes confront\u00e9es au d\u00e9clin de l'industrie foresti\u00e8re ont re\u00e7u peu d'aide et je ne suis pas \u00e9tonn\u00e9 que la situation soit la m\u00eame dans la collectivit\u00e9 de la d\u00e9put\u00e9e et dans les r\u00e9gions du Qu\u00e9bec.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"1132466\" data-originallang=\"en\">C'est un probl\u00e8me tr\u00e8s s\u00e9rieux, mais de telles incertitudes \u00e9conomiques ne constituent pas une priorit\u00e9. Les conservateurs ne font pas le genre de d\u00e9veloppement r\u00e9gional n\u00e9cessaire. Ils ne se penchent pas sur les probl\u00e8mes particuliers auxquels fait face l'industrie foresti\u00e8re. Ils n'ont pas de plan judicieux pour s'attaquer au dendoctrone du pin en Colombie-Britannique, ils n'ont pas fait cesser l'exportation de grumes et ils n'ont pas veill\u00e9 \u00e0 assurer une production secondaire au Canada. Par surcro\u00eet, ils ne s'emploient pas \u00e0 ce que le programme d'assurance-emploi r\u00e9ponde aux besoins de la population des r\u00e9gions. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"1132467\" data-originallang=\"en\">Le calcul des taux des taux de cotisation et du nombre de semaines d'admissibilit\u00e9 des travailleurs ne tient pas compte des besoins de nombreuses collectivit\u00e9s et r\u00e9gions. En fait, on regroupe les travailleurs vis\u00e9s avec ceux de r\u00e9gions o\u00f9 le niveau d'emploi est plus \u00e9lev\u00e9 et, de ce fait, on limite les prestations. J'ai souvent entendu la d\u00e9put\u00e9e de <a data-HoCid=\"78928\" href=\"/politicians/jean-crowder/\" title=\"Jean Crowder\">Nanaimo\u2014Cowichan</a> dire comment cette situation touche les travailleurs forestiers de sa circonscription. Leurs prestations se terminent nettement plus rapidement qu'ils ne l'avaient pr\u00e9vu \u00e0 cause de ces modifications et de l'incapacit\u00e9 du programme actuel d'assurance-emploi de r\u00e9pondre aux besoins de ces collectivit\u00e9s et des travailleurs. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"1132468\" data-originallang=\"en\">C'est un grave probl\u00e8me dans l'ensemble du Canada, mais le gouvernement ne manifeste pas le genre de leadership qui s'impose. </p>"
    },
    "url": "/debates/2008/6/3/bill-siksay-5/",
    "politician_url": "/politicians/bill-siksay/",
    "politician_membership_url": "/politicians/memberships/1264/",
    "procedural": false,
    "source_id": "2505469",
    "h1": {
        "en": "Government Orders",
        "fr": ""
    },
    "h2": {
        "en": "Budget Implementation Act, 2008",
        "fr": ""
    },
    "document_url": "/debates/2008/6/3/",
    "related": {
        "document_speeches_url": "/speeches/?document=%2Fdebates%2F2008%2F6%2F3%2F"
    }
}