Evidence of meeting #13 for COVID-19 Pandemic in the 43rd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was chair.
A video is available from Parliament.
Liberal
Mary Ng Liberal Markham—Thornhill, ON
Canada, with our international partners in the U.S., Australia and the U.K., made a joint statement in which we are expressing our deep concern regarding China's imposition of a new security law for Hong Kong.
Conservative
David Sweet Conservative Flamborough—Glanbrook, ON
Canada has an admirable history of doing the right thing and helping when the situation is bleak. The Suez Canal, Cyprus, the fall of apartheid, child and maternal health in Africa, and Afghanistan are examples in my lifetime of how Canada has weighed in significantly. Why is the government letting down Hong Kong?
Liberal
Mary Ng Liberal Markham—Thornhill, ON
Mr. Chair, with hundreds of thousands of Canadians living in Hong Kong, we have a vested interest in Hong Kong's stability and prosperity, the foundations of which are Hong Kong's relative autonomy and basic freedoms. Canada will always support and promote freedom of speech, freedom of expression and freedoms of the press around the world.
Conservative
David Sweet Conservative Flamborough—Glanbrook, ON
I think the 300,000 Canadians who are in Hong Kong want a little bit more than interest from the government. They'd like some action.
What exactly is the government going to do to help those 300,000 Canadians who are in the breach between democracy and tyranny now?
Liberal
Mary Ng Liberal Markham—Thornhill, ON
Mr. Chair, Canada has expressed deep concern regarding China's imposition of the new security law for Hong Kong. The proposed law would undermine the one country, two systems framework. We are going to continue to support and promote freedom of speech, freedom of expression and freedom of the press around the world.
Conservative
David Sweet Conservative Flamborough—Glanbrook, ON
Mr. Chair, I have deep concern. After being fired at with pepper bullets and tear gas yesterday, 300 students were arrested in Hong Kong while peacefully protesting.
Where is the outrage from this government with regard to what the CPC is doing in Hong Kong?
Liberal
Mary Ng Liberal Markham—Thornhill, ON
Mr. Chair, as we have said, we are deeply concerned about the arrests of political figures and about the law that has been imposed on Hong Kong. As we have said, Canada will always stand up and support freedom of speech and freedom of expression.
Conservative
David Sweet Conservative Flamborough—Glanbrook, ON
Mr. Chair, I'm going to give the minister another opportunity to answer the third question that I asked.
Yesterday, the rubber-stamp National People's Congress passed the national security bill, undermining Hong Kong's autonomy and strengthening the iron grip of the Chinese Communist Party. Will this government condemn that law today?
Liberal
Mary Ng Liberal Markham—Thornhill, ON
Canada will continue to support Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy and freedoms under the Basic Law and the one country, two systems framework. Canada and our international partners, with the U.S., Australia and the U.K., have made a joint statement deeply expressing our concern regarding China's imposition of a new security law for Hong Kong.
Conservative
Conservative
Steven Blaney Conservative Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC
I am pleased to represent the city of Lévis, because it is a privilege, Mr. Chair. It is the city where Alphonse Desjardins, who spearheaded the largest financial cooperative movement, was born. I hope you will not take that away from my time.
My question is for the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion. On April 8, the minister announced measures for the Canada summer jobs program. We thought it was to improve the program, but can the minister confirm that the budget remained the same between April 7 and 9?
Carla Qualtrough LiberalMinister of Employment
Mr. Chair, I can confirm that we have increased the wage subsidies for Canada student jobs. We have added flexibilities, including the ability to have part-time work and the ability to have the jobs extended until February of next year.
That said, the budget was not changed. It remains at 70,000 job placements for 70,000 students, with 100% of them being subsidized at 100%.
Conservative
Steven Blaney Conservative Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC
The minister confirms that the budget remains the same, but that by subsidizing each job more, they are reducing the number of jobs in the midst of the pandemic.
Why reduce the number of jobs offered by our businesses in the midst of the pandemic, when our young people want to work?
Liberal
Carla Qualtrough Liberal Delta, BC
Mr. Chair, I can assure the member, all members and all Canadians that despite the fact that he's singling out the Canada summer jobs program, we also created an additional 76,000 jobs through our youth employment and skills strategy, with an additional 40,000 placements for students. I can assure the member that we are—
Conservative
Steven Blaney Conservative Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC
How many jobs are vacant right now? The program is lagging behind compared to other years. Why, and how is it that there is still money to be invested in our businesses to create summer jobs?
Liberal
Carla Qualtrough Liberal Delta, BC
Mr. Chair, we are not lagging behind whatsoever. We created flexibilities in Canada summer jobs so that we can assuredly fill all of these 70,000 positions. We are rolling them out in waves. There are 45,000 jobs up on our job bank. I can assure young Canadians that there is work for them there, and I encourage them to check out the job bank.
Conservative
Steven Blaney Conservative Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC
The minister confirms that there are delays in the midst of the pandemic, when the university year is over and businesses are waiting to hire young people. Why refuse to create additional jobs this year under the Canada summer jobs program, when businesses need them to adjust to the pandemic?
Liberal
Carla Qualtrough Liberal Delta, BC
Mr. Chair, I can assure you that we are not refusing to create any additional jobs. We've increased the number of jobs funded through our government's youth programs by over 100%. There are a number of jobs. We've added flexibilities into the Canada summer jobs program to maximize that program in ways that it never would have been maximized had we not done this. I can assure the member opposite that we are doing our utmost to make sure that young people have good-quality job experiences this summer.
Conservative
Steven Blaney Conservative Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC
When the minister says “maximize,” she is actually saying that there are fewer jobs this year for young people because the budget has remained the same, but that each position is funded more.
My question is very simple: why not fund more jobs through the Canada summer jobs program instead of having open-ended programs like the Canada emergency student benefit, which does not allow young people to get work experience? We need young people and they want to work.
Liberal
Carla Qualtrough Liberal Delta, BC
I agree, absolutely, that we need young people to work this summer. That's why we're creating a number of opportunities through a number of programs, Mr. Chair.
Canada summer jobs is being maxed out, and that's a good thing, because we've increased the number of jobs and added an additional 76,000 jobs. I can assure the member that we're creating so many jobs, and it's so exciting for our young people.
Conservative
Steven Blaney Conservative Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC
The Canada emergency student benefit does not encourage young people to go to work, and employers have difficulty hiring them. Yet they had applied for the Canada summer jobs program.
Why not enhance the Canada summer jobs program?
Liberal
Carla Qualtrough Liberal Delta, BC
Mr. Chair, I'm sure the member opposite is not implying that offering young people income support that they take out of necessity will make them not want to work. Young people want to work. They want to serve in their communities. That's why we're creating these additional jobs beyond the Canada summer jobs program. That's why we've increased the flexibilities in the Canada summer jobs program. It's so we can maximize these programs.
