Mr. T. C. Douglas (Nanaimo-Cowichan-The Islands):

Mr. Speaker, under the provisions of Standing Order 43 I wish to raise a matter of urgent and pressing necessity, namely, the arrest by officers of the federal Department of Fisheries of several loggers working in the Queen Charlotte Islands on a project approved by the government of British Columbia and operating within the jurisdiction of the British Columbia department of forests. I ask leave to move, seconded by the member for Winnipeg North Centre (Mr. Knowles):

That this House urges the Minister of Fisheries to cease and desist from these arbitrary arrests of loggers working on government-approved projects; and, further, that the minister immediately enter into discussions with the government of British Columbia regarding any matters now in dispute, instead of harassing workmen who are merely carrying out the duties assigned to them by their employer.

Mr. Speaker:

Pursuant to Standing Order 43, such a motion can be presented for debate at this time only with unanimous consent of the House. Is there unanimous consent?

Agreed.

No.

March 26, 1979

Mr. David MacDonald (Egmont):

Mr. Speaker, my question is directed to the Prime Minister. As the Prime Minister and, I am sure, many hon. members know, an important meeting of the National Action Committee on the Status of Women, representing more than 165 women's groups across Canada, was held in Ottawa this past weekend. Central to their concerns at this meeting and over the past few months has been the deteriorating situation with respect to employment for women.

The Prime Minister, myself and others in this House had a discussion in January concerning the strong statement made by the chairman of the Advisory Council on the Status of Women with respect to the deliberate exclusion of women from the government's employment strategy, particularly the one announced last September by the Minister of Employment and Immigration. There was a follow-up meeting of the six advisory councils later in January which endorsed Madame Rousseau's concern and accusation.

Can the Prime Minister indicate the steps he has taken to consult directly with the National Advisory Council or provincial bodies to come to grips with the specific problems which have been raised by Madame Rousseau and other members of the council which very much affect working women today?

Hon. Marc Lalonde (Minister of Justice):

Mr. Speaker, I had occasion to meet with representatives of the National Advisory Council on the Status of Women. My colleague, the Minister of Employment and Immigration, has also examined the representations which were made.

I would like to inform the hon. member that of the several hundred thousand jobs created last year, something over 60 per cent of them went to women. The record of the job creation program of the government and of the Canadian economy during the last year has been quite positive. More jobs were created for women than for men during the course of last year.

Mr. MacDonald (Egmont):

Mr. Speaker, I am somewhat surprised that the Prime Minister did not answer, because he was so definite in refuting the comments made by Madame Rousseau. I am not sure whether the Prime Minister is well informed on this matter, but I would like to ask him specifically about the recent cutting back of the Outreach program, which affects many thousands of women across Canada. I refer him, also, to the impact of changes in the Unemployment Insurance Act which affect women disproportionately compared with men.

What action has the Prime Minister taken in consultation with the Minister of Employment and Immigration with

March 26, 1979

regard to reviewing these decisions and reinstating-until there is a full statement-programs which are directly affected and which help women become more fully and equitably participants in the marketplace?

Right Hon. P. E. Trudeau (Prime Minister):

Mr. Speaker, I am astonished that the hon. member does not want the minister responsible for the conduct of government policies with regard to the status of women to answer questions. I do not complain that his leader is not here to ask such important questions.

I can say that at all levels the insinuations of the hon. member are not correct. 1 can indicate, for instance, that at the level of order in council appointments we have doubled the number of women appointed over the last three or four years. As the minister just stated, jobs in the private sector are being created in greater numbers for women than for men. I think the accusations of the hon. member are not informed and are calculated only to demonstrate his own ignorance.

Mr. MacDonald (Egmont):

Mr. Speaker, I am sorry that the Prime Minister is so defensive on this question. I would like to direct a final supplementary to him. The papers presented by the Department of Finance last fall admitted that the first ministers' meeting predictions on the participation rate for women were very inaccurate with respect to the rate of the increase in participation. However, no new Figures, in terms of economic planning for the future, were put on the table.

Can the Prime Minister indicate whether he has examined those figures, whether he has asked for a new set of figures, and whether they will be published so that we will know what kind of over-all planning is being undertaken by the government with respect to the involvement of women in the government's long-term employment strategies?

Mr. Trudeau:

Mr. Speaker, the figures quoted by the Minister of Justice were that 60 per cent of jobs go to women, as opposed to 40 per cent to men. It is, therefore, astonishing that the hon. member would not think that this is a satisfactory response.

Mr. James A. McGrath (St. John's East):

Mr. Speaker, in the absence of the Minister of Employment and Immigration I will direct my supplementary question to the right hon. Prime Minister.

In a letter to the National Advisory Council on the Status of Women on February 14 last, the Minister of Employment and Immigration indicated that a disproportionate number of women would be discriminated against under the 20-hour provision in the recent changes to the Unemployment Insurance Act. This has caused women to appeal to the Human Rights Commission. Is it the intention of the government to review the provisions of the Unemployment Insurance Act specifically with these amendments in mind to ensure that the

Oral Questions

provisions of the act as it now stands are not discriminatory against women?

Right Hon. P. E. Trudeau (Prime Minister):

Mr. Speaker, I want to remind the House that the Human Rights Commission was set up by parliament under the policy of this government. We awaited support on this matter to see what action would be called for.

Mr. McGrath:

Mr. Speaker, I commend to the Prime Minister the statement of the chairman of the Human Rights Commission when he appeared before a committee of the House in connection with this bill. If the Prime Minister reads that statement, he will know exactly what the views of the Human Rights Commission are.

Mr. Speaker, I should like to direct my supplementary question to the Minister of National Revenue and ask if he can tell the House why 350 women involved in catching squid in N ewfoundland-

Squid?

Mr. McGrath:

Yes, squid. The hon. gentleman would not know one if he saw one.

He's a squid himself.

Mr. McGrath:

Can the minister tell the House why 350 women involved in catching squid in Newfoundland were disqualified from the provisions of the Unemployment Insurance Act, notwithstanding the fact that men involved in the same kind of work had no problem in receiving benefits?