Human Resources committee  I think our labour market demand and supply issues are at a crossroads in our country. We think all levels of government need to spend time working together on those solutions. When they do, wonderful things are going to happen, as demonstrated through our Workplace Partners Panel, where we had more than several hundred stakeholders commenting on these issues from an industry perspective.

Human Resources committee  To put it in its broadest possible sense, the opportunity is through goodwill. We think there is a strong vote. Saskatchewan is the only province in Canada that has the remnants of a Saskatchewan labour force development board. Many years ago, a labour force development board existed in all provinces, but that vehicle didn't seem to be a particularly effective tool.

Human Resources committee  I'm not certain that I fully understand your question, but let me comment on what I said. This comes as no surprise to anyone, because I think it's also true in many other provinces, but we lack a coordinating strategic body in Saskatchewan to help us plan the supply and demand issues for our labour market.

Human Resources committee  There's no question that literacy is an issue for the future of the Saskatchewan labour market and our workforce. As I said earlier, the international standards for adjudicating literacy skills have rated Saskatchewan's overall literacy level at quite a high level, but they've also commented on the large number of people we have who are at low literacy levels.

Human Resources committee  I am certainly no expert. I'm an amateur in this regard. My view is that affordable housing is critical. There have been some extremely good activities through partnerships with CMHC and, in our case, Saskatchewan Housing Corporation that have proven to be very effective. I do have some experience in that area; I don't want to get into it, because there is not enough time here.

Human Resources committee  No doubt about it, the industry you've just raised has done an exceptionally good job. They did that through specific agreements with the Province of Saskatchewan, as you know, to hire a specific level of aboriginal people in their northern mining industry. That was all done through a contractual agreement with the government that goes back many decades.

Human Resources committee  You've asked some very complex questions, obviously. I know that you know that. You've heard from us about how people can organize and work together, where industry can develop a joint approach. I've suggested to you that it's very important to look at it from the point of view of marginalized individuals, including aboriginal workers, for example.

Human Resources committee  If I could respond to the earlier comment made by Mr. Regan, I believe it was, on the three most important things the federal government can do, frankly, those things are a single-window entry system; a strategic coordination with the provinces, leaving aside partisan distractions over how to solve these labour market issue problems; and finally, instilling some form of funding stability in federal government programs, because in the past they have often been too ephemeral to offer appropriate long-term, stable resources to help the labour market sector partners and individual organizations, such as the one Bev spoke about, to move forward with their agenda.

Human Resources committee  The point raised is a good one. The sector councils are integral to the notion of determining what the future needs are in terms of the supply side, but the problem we have in a province like Saskatchewan—and I think this is quite a common problem throughout the rest of Canada as well—is that while there are a number of agencies impacting the labour market, there's no single agency that has responsibility for coordinating labour market development issues.

Human Resources committee  Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, thank you for listening to us today. My name is Mark Hanley. I'm a certified management consultant for Saskatchewan and a member of the Institute of Certified Management Consultants of Canada. As part of my consultancy, I'm also acting for the Saskatchewan Labour Force Development Board as its interim executive director during a period of restructuring, which my firm has led.