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Marilène Gill

Replying to Claude DeBellefeuille (Bloc Québécois)
“Mr. Speaker, I really enjoy hearing my colleague talk about her part of the country. It is indeed very special. I do not know whether you have ever had the chance to visit. I have only been to Sept-Îles, myself, and I was totally impressed by the strength of the community. I hear the members opposite saying that seasonal workers should find work elsewhere once the season is over. What we really come to understand, however, is that these are not seasonal workers; they are workers in seasonal jobs. Perhaps my colleague could explain the difference and explain what it means for a region to have seasonal jobs. What would happen if everyone who works in seasonal jobs found work elsewhere, while waiting for the season to return?”

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Mr. Speaker, my colleague’s question gives me an opportunity to dispel a stereotype about workers in seasonal industries. Words matter. Workers are not the ones who are seasonal; it is the work. Earlier, I gave fisheries and tourism as examples. We might like to have more snowmobiles on the north shore, but that does not always happen. Sometimes there are winters with no work in tourism. The same is true of fishing, because people do not fish in winter. Investment is obviously needed to extend those seasons so that people can work more. Production needs to be diversified. That could lead to a much broader discussion, but the fact remains that these people are the lifeblood of coastal communities with populations of 200 to 300. I am thinking of the lower north shore, where some communities are 200 to 300 kilometres apart and are not connected by road. What do we do about these communities? We need to support them because the support they receive through EI helps ensure that they can continue to develop. It may sound unbelievable, but that is the situation in my riding.