Congratulations, Mr. Speaker. I am going to be splitting my time with my colleague, the member of Parliament for Yukon.
As Canada's labour minister, I am pleased to take part in this important debate on the 2011 budget, the next phase of Canada's economic action plan, a low-tax plan for jobs and growth. This budget is a model of sound fiscal management because it is focused on strengthening Canada's economic recovery by improving the ability of businesses and entrepreneurs to respond to emerging growth opportunities and create jobs.
The Canadian economic recovery is well under way and that is thanks to extraordinary measures in the economic action plan and Canada's solid economic fundamentals. Canadians have every reason to be optimistic about the future.
Our country has posted the strongest economic growth among the G7 countries since mid-2009 and we have recouped all the job losses incurred during the global economic recession. As we continue to recover from this economic downturn, it is more important than ever that we encourage a co-operative and productive workplace.
A harmonious workplace lies at the heart of a prosperous economy. Productivity and innovation thrive in places where work can be done safely, in an environment that values quality, fairness and excellence. By providing mediation and conciliation services to federally-regulated industries that are engaged in collective bargaining, the labour program's Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service helps employers and unions to resolve their differences without a work stoppage, strike or lockout and the economy becomes stronger as a result of this labour stability.
In the past five years, 832 collective agreements were finalized and 792 of them were reached without a work stoppage. This represents a success rate of more than 95% when a federal conciliator or mediation officer intervenes in a dispute.
If I could, I would like to mention a notable success that has just been achieved on the west coast of Canada. There is a historic eight-year agreement between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada, representing approximately 4,500 longshore workers, and the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association. This represents the longest collective agreement ever negotiated on the west coast of North America. The parties agreed to it themselves and they did it without any interruption in service at our Pacific ports.
It is a noteworthy achievement because it sends a clear message to the rest of the world. That message is that Canada is open for business and we can be relied upon to meet the import and export demands of the 21st century. That is why the next phase of Canada's economic action plan proposes to expand the delivery of the preventive mediation program with an investment of just over $1 million over two years. It is a modest investment, but it will pay real dividends in the years to come.
Let me now turn my attention to those who often face the brunt during an economic downturn: the workers. Our economic action plan established the wage earner protection program, or WEPP, as it is known. This program helps workers manage one of the toughest challenges they will ever face: going without hard-earned pay because an employer has gone bankrupt.
As a direct result of the WEPP program, eligible workers who lose their jobs and are owed money in the six months prior to their employer going bankrupt or subject to receivership are now compensated for unpaid wages and vacation pay. This also includes severance and termination pay. Therefore, in total, workers can receive up to a maximum of $3,400, money which is paid out quickly to ensure that the most vulnerable period of time for workers and their families is covered.
The WEPP has made an important difference to those in need. Since January 2009 over 30,000 WEPP claimants have received almost $67 million in payments and with all these funds going directly to hard-working Canadians they were really the innocent victims of corporate failures.
Our budget provides even more support for workers caught in this unfortunate situation. We are going to extend WEPP to cover employees who lose their jobs when their employers' attempt at restructuring takes longer than six months and is subsequently unsuccessful. It is an important enhancement to a valuable program.
The enhanced protection could provide an estimated $4.5 million annually to financially assist Canadians affected by the bankruptcy of their employer who would not have had coverage under the program as it was developed. This will ensure that employees are not unfairly penalized if their employer tries but fails to restructure in the face of financial difficulties.
Budget 2011 also announces the government's intention to amend the Canadian Human Rights Act and the Canada Labour Code to eliminate mandatory retirement in the federal jurisdiction. We are taking this step because we believe that forcing an employee to retire by reason of age is a form of discrimination and is unequal treatment. There is no question that Canadians are living longer and they are more active than ever, so people should be able to choose when they retire unless there are compelling reasons like health and safety concerns that prohibit them from doing so.
The budget strikes the right balance between fiscal prudence and targeted investment. It is no surprise that both business and labour groups have reacted favourably to the proposals in the budget. It is a rare occasion when organized labour comes out and publicly endorses a Conservative budget.
When the labour items in the budget were first presented, Mr. Ken Georgetti, president of the Canadian Labour Congress--