38th PARLIAMENT, 1st SESSION
EDITED HANSARD • NUMBER 093
CONTENTS
Friday, May 6, 2005

Employment Insurance
Mr. Ed Komarnicki (Souris—Moose Mountain, CPC): Mr. Speaker, is it genuine concern or another example of the tail wagging the dog?

Shortly after the announcement of the Conservative Party subcommittee plan for a comprehensive wage earner protection fund to operate through the EI program, the Minister of Labour, with all the bluster he could muster, announced that he had an immediate announcement. What was the announcement and how immediate? It was the government's intention to move quickly on its intention to introduce a package for a worker protection fund. I would not bet on it.

It was a knee-jerk reaction no doubt, but more like the tail wagging the dog. What was the real reason for the minister's sudden burst of social consciousness? The NDP-Liberal budget amendment which was agreed to by a minority government. The government, under the duress of a non-confidence motion, added a clause saying that $100 million would be invested for the protection of workers in the event of a bankruptcy.

All of a sudden the minister's focus has sharpened. The problem has been here for years, just as the minister has been since 1988, as parliamentary secretary to the minister of industry on small business in 2003 and now as labour minister. During these years over $45 billion collected from employers and employees have gone to general revenue and now the minister wants to give back less than a quarter of 1%, a mere pittance.