Madam Chair and everyone, thank you for having me here today. I am extremely pleased to be here along with my colleague, the Honourable Diane Finley, to meet you all, to have an opportunity to talk to you a little bit about the labour program, and to highlight how its mandate and activities are really there to support hard-working Canadians as well as successful Canadian businesses.
Federally regulated enterprises are the ones that we in the Ministry of Labour oversee. They are represented in some key economic sectors, so ensuring their health and prosperity is essential to our economy. As well, doing so strengthens Canada's innovation and makes Canada a destination of choice for new business investment.
There's no question that Canadians spend a lot of time at work. There are very few things as important to a Canadian's quality of life as a safe, encouraging workplace and a dependable source of income. A well-functioning workplace also allows workers and managers to focus on productivity and innovation. A strong working relationship between workers and managers will help, in the end, to contribute to Canada's economic vitality.
This underscores the key role of the labour program, which is to promote a safe, innovative, productive, and cooperative workplace. It's within this balanced framework that the partners can and do thrive.
I want to start by reminding members of and picking up on what Minister Finley said: that our government's top priority is to complete year two of Canada's economic action plan. Through this economic action plan, our government took decisive steps to protect incomes, create jobs, ease credit markets, and help workers and communities get back on their feet.
Within this context, I want to highlight for you some of the activities that the labour program implements to support this renewed prosperity and well-being for the benefit of all Canadians.
First, the wage earner protection program, or WEPP, is an initiative that has been a tremendous success in responding to the economic downturn. This program supports workers at a really difficult time in their lives. It provides timely compensation for wages, vacation pay, severance pay, and termination pay when their employers go bankrupt.
Since our government implemented this program in July of 2008, and with its expansion in Canada's economic action plan, the program has played an important role in supporting workers who were owed money by bankrupt employers. In the past fiscal year, over 16,000 Canadians have benefited from the program, with some $36 million in compensation having been paid.
Another important area of activity is the mediation and conciliation services that are provided to federally regulated employers and unions that are engaged in collective bargaining. These services encourage the resolution of differences without a work stoppage. That's an outcome that is important not only to the parties but also to the Canadian economy on the whole.
Of the approximately 650 collective agreements reached in the federal jurisdiction in the last four years with the assistance of federal mediators and conciliators, over 95% were settled without a strike or a lockout. This is an impressive record and it has remained intact even in this economic climate.
Now, going forward, we'll continue with this strong track record by pursuing proactive interventions, including preventative mediation, which is designed to improve overall labour relations and reduce the likelihood of major labour disputes.
In the second phase of Canada's economic action plan, our government reaffirmed its dedication to the successful completion of free trade and to making progress on concluding new free trade agreements. The labour program plays a key role in this area by supporting the government's international trade agenda through negotiation and implementation of labour cooperation agreements, or LCAs. These accompany each free trade agreement. The government is committed to pursuing labour relations with international partners that respect labour standards and to ensuring that human rights and increased economic activity both are emphasized during these negotiations.
I am very pleased to report that LCAs have been signed with Peru, Colombia, and Jordan. Negotiations are ongoing with other key trading partners. Not only do these agreements reflect and promote the values that we as Canadians cherish, but they also serve to ensure that level playing field for Canadian companies working in the global economy.
On the domestic front, employment standards play a key role in defining responsibilities for workplace partners as they relate to such things as leave, hours of work, and, of course, pay. As well, occupational health and safety legislation ensures that employees are safe from injury and occupational illness, because, fundamentally, safe workplaces mean more efficient work environments and of course higher productivity.
When these standards are not respected, the labour program plays an enforcement role. In other words, the program is responsible for making sure that the ground rules for safe, fair, productive workplaces are understood and followed. That benefits everyone involved.
Similarly, it's essential to ensure that the rules under which we expect workplace partners to operate are effective and efficient, that they contribute to positive results, and that they continue to meet the needs of all the parties. So, during 2009, the labour program consulted with stakeholders and the public on how federal employment standards can be modernized. We all recognize that the 21st century workplace is vastly different from the workplaces in the past.
We know that Canadians need support in balancing their work, their family, and their civic responsibilities and that employers need flexibility in managing their workforce and their business. Currently we are assessing the results from the consultations and we're taking a view to ensuring that we're providing the necessary flexibility to support the needs both of the employees and of the employers in the current economy.
Madam Chair, the final area I'd like to highlight is our government's employment equity programs. These encourage the establishment of working environments that are free from barriers for four designated groups in Canada: women, aboriginal peoples, persons with disabilities, and members of visible minorities.
Our efforts in this area include ensuring that employers understand and meet their obligations under the Employment Equity Act, and that helps promote equitable workplaces for all Canadians. By identifying barriers to the designated groups, gaps in representation are defined and steps can be taken to reduce these hurdles.
To give you an example, CIBC has a women's network and a mentoring circle for women in the workplace. Telus has implemented a “mapping your path to balance” program, which helps women find a work/life balance. I'm sure there are a lot of women around this table who would like to subscribe to that program.
For aboriginal peoples, considerable work is under way in many federally regulated companies to ensure that there is an open and inclusive workplace. Alliance, for example, has put in place a full-time aboriginal relations lead at its Calgary headquarters, while CTV sends its job postings to various aboriginal associations, such as Quebec Native Women Inc.
We also support the racism-free workplace strategy, which helps us to foster inclusive workplaces that can take full advantage of the skills and talents of all Canadians. Immigration can contribute greatly to Canada's growth over the next 20 years, and new immigrant workers, along with the increase in the aboriginal population, account for all of the growth in the labour force.
So with a growing labour market, it is essential that we foster inclusive workplaces that welcome Canadians of all backgrounds, not only because this makes Canada a more just society and better able to attract talent from abroad, but because it also allows employers to take full advantage of the varied range of abilities across the Canadian work pool. This makes our economy stronger and benefits all Canadians.
The full and fair participation of all members of Canada's workforce will become increasingly important. These programs that I've mentioned play an important part in supporting that key objective.
In 2009 the labour program undertook a strategic review of its activities to ensure that its programs remain relevant and that Canadians are receiving value for money. The outcome of that review, which was announced under budget 2010, will generate some $7.3 million in savings by fiscal year 2012-13.
The strategic review process confirmed the continuing importance of the labour program's mandate to foster fair, productive, safe workplaces and cooperative work relations. It demonstrated that our activities fall squarely within the defined roles and responsibilities of the federal government and also allowed us to bring enhanced focus and clarity to the longer-term vision for the organization. I am confident that the labour program will be a stronger, more focused organization as a result of its strategic review process.
This is the overview of the labour program, Madam Chair, demonstrating how we're helping to build and maintain a strong, adaptable economy by ensuring our workplaces are safe, fair, healthy, and productive. I look forward to responding with my colleagues to questions from the committee.
Thank you very much.
