Mr. Speaker, I mentioned a $400 million a year reduction of benefits in one region. He counters with the employment insurance, saying that it will provide $200 million more a year throughout Canada, because of pre-existing active programming. The only difference between the employment insurance and the old active programming is that, from now on, the money will no longer come from the consolidated revenue fund, but from the unemployment insurance fund. Active programming did exist before.
He then goes on saying that the federal government is involved in CDECs. An so it should. Despite this $400 million cut, despite the shortfalls in federal spending in Quebec, when Ontario was awarded a contract to build tanks, all the east end of Montreal got was a contract to repair old tanks.
The ones who have to watch what they are saying are people speaking on behalf of the Canadian government. They cannot just ramble on. People who live in poverty want to get out of it. The hon. member may not know what poverty means. I bet that some of his constituents who would like to work could tell him all about it. I am not saying that some may not want to, there may even be some among members. However, there are lots of people who want to work but cannot because there are no jobs.