Quebec election: Marois says ‘odious’ federal EI overhaul is more reason for independence

ÎLES-DE-LA-MADELAINE, QUE.—The federal government’s overhaul of the employment insurance system is yet another example of why Quebec needs independence, says Parti Québécois Leader Pauline Marois.

In an region that relies on tourism and fishing for its survival, many people here are preoccupied with Ottawa’s plan to force repeat users of the EI system into a similar occupation with a comparable wage if they can’t find a job on their own.

Marois, on the campaign trail in the Quebec election called last week, spent an hour listening to the concerns of representatives of the fishing and tourism industries in this Gulf of St. Lawrence archipelago before declaring the changes to EI, announced earlier this year in the federal budget, to be “completely odious.”

“They did it in a cavalier fashion, changing the employment insurance rules, that touches all of our seasonal workers,” she said, adding that the Quebec government wasn’t consulted about the changes.

Even though the federal budget has already been passed into law, a PQ government would keep fighting Ottawa for amendments or exceptions to the rules. Ideally, Quebec would be able to run its own system to financially support the unemployed.

“I work for the interests of Quebecers. Currently they are badly served by Ottawa. Employment insurance is one example of the urgency of becoming independent,” she said.

Another example, she said, is a proposition to drill for offshore oil and natural gas reserves at a site in the Gulf of St. Lawrence known as Old Harry. Exploration plans are currently on hold.

Quebec and Newfoundland are currently locked in a geographic battle to determine territorial ownership of Old Harry. If they don’t agree, Ottawa can intervene and appoint a mediator to settle the dispute.

“We don’t agree with that,” Marois said.

Coalition Avenir Québec Leader François Legault has promised to speed up the process of exploring Quebec’s natural resource wealth with the intention of putting the royalties toward the province’s debt.

“There’s a risk that if we don’t move faster we will lose some of the oil from Old Harry,” Legault said.

Marois said the right approach is to go slow and ensure time for proper debate and environmental assessment.

“We discussed that this morning and there’s a lot of worry on the part of those who fish for lobster and crab because it’s very close to their fishing grounds.”

Original Article
Source: the star
Author: Allan Woods