Human Resources committee  Chair, this is an entirely legitimate preoccupation of members of Parliament and of the department. When these loans are entered into, they are obligations upon the student who has taken the loan and we treat them as such. That said, members will understand there is a wide vari

Human Resources committee  We do not work, Mr. Chair, on the basis of overall funding approaches to grants and contribution programs. These programs are administered program by program on that basis alone. There are, in fact, many reasons, particularly when you look at the span of four or five fiscal years

Human Resources committee  I could clarify, Mr. Chair, but I don't believe we have costed that plan.

Human Resources committee  I'm afraid you've lost me on the specific number.

Human Resources committee  We do. We have data suggesting that the percentage of claimants working two or four days per week while on claim has increased from 43% to 50%. Another way of looking at this is to measure the employment income that is earned while they are on claim, and that also has increased.

Human Resources committee  Paul, can I ask you to answer?

Human Resources committee  You're in a better position to.

Human Resources committee  Chair, I think we would want to clarify, and I will invite Benoît Long, another of our new recruits in the department, to expand on this. We have not, in fact, lowered the standard. I just want to clarify that. Benoît can elaborate.

Human Resources committee  I think the minister was saying that those eligible are receiving their payment at that standard.

Human Resources committee  Anyway, factually, Mr. Cuzner, that's the standard, that's the definition, and that's the current performance.

Human Resources committee  Yes.

Human Resources committee  I think the first requirement for that kind of uptake is employers who are prepared to make that kind of opportunity available. Our ministers have been advocating that in the employer community. I'm going to ask my colleague Gail Johnson, who has joined us in the last year as the

Human Resources committee  Chair, by the way, that was a concerned doctor, Gail Johnson, who holds a Ph.D. in higher learning.

Human Resources committee  This program, and frankly Chair and members of the committee, it has been a challenging issue of public policy to achieve the right kind of balance between a proven need and undue reliance on temporary foreign workers when the Canadian labour market can provide the workers. In t

Human Resources committee  We eliminated that requirement.