Evidence of meeting #66 for Finance in the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was immigration.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative James Rajotte
Yes, and for anything you submit, we'll ensure all members get it.
Conservative
Shelly Glover Conservative Saint Boniface, MB
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I want to thank the professionals who are here today, including those who have joined us via video conference.
As you can see, we have three different parties in Parliament because we don't agree, and we have a number of witnesses who have appeared before us who don't agree, including other economists who would challenge Mr. Stanford's position on a number of things that have been said.
I did want to point out that the budget plan, on page 34, does have a chart of the jobs that have been created, the net new jobs that have been created, and it refers to 610,000. We actually are now at more than 750,000 net new jobs that have been created since the budget was written.
But the professionals who helped develop that chart talk about 90% of those 610,000 jobs being full time. So when Mr. Mai indicates that there are mostly part-time jobs, when you look at the jobs that have been created in particular, it's indisputable, from what we've been shown by other experts, that 90% of them have been full time.
Mr. Stanford, can you speak to the 90% of the 610,000 jobs, that chart on page 34? Would you care to dispute the fact that 90%, according to Stats Canada and other economists, are in the full-time areas?
Economist, Canadian Auto Workers Union
Madam, I would not dispute for a moment the fact that most new jobs created are full-time jobs—
Economist, Canadian Auto Workers Union
I would have to look at the chart and look at the starting point of the chart and the end point of the chart. I could gladly give my take on the numbers and submit that.
Conservative
Economist, Canadian Auto Workers Union
I certainly did look at the budget, Madam, but I didn't memorize every graph in the entire budget, nor the statistical forces—
Conservative
Shelly Glover Conservative Saint Boniface, MB
I thought you would have looked at that page, because that is the page that talks about—
Conservative
Shelly Glover Conservative Saint Boniface, MB
—the jobs that you've commented about quite extensively, and 90% are full time. In fact, 80% of those jobs are in the private sector.
The other thing it says on that page that I think is very important to note, which is why I'm a little surprised that an economist who wanted to speak about the job creation didn't look at it, is that these are jobs in the “high-wage industries”. What does that mean? That means the average hourly wages are actually above the aggregate average.
Now, how many of those jobs that were created in the budget plan that we're actually studying were in the high-wage industries? This says, according to Stats Canada and other professionals, that 80% of them were in the high-wage industries. So again, I know there are differences of opinion, but the facts speak for themselves in the budget, and I was hoping you might have looked at that so you could dispute that precisely, rather than talking more generally about some broader issues.
But I do want to turn my attention to Madam Brisebois, and it's because the penny is created in Manitoba, in my riding of Winnipeg. We've made some changes to eliminate the penny, so I'm interested in knowing your reaction and the reaction of your members to that decision.
President and Chief Executive Officer, Retail Council of Canada
Some of us will be sad to see the penny disappear, but I think it's more an age issue than an economic issue. Generally, the industry was in favour. We appeared quite a few years ago before the Senate committee that was also looking at this issue.
Our greatest concern is to make sure that industry and government work together so the timing is right. The elimination of the penny affects small merchants, mid-sized merchants, and large merchants differently. It also affects information technology systems and all of that, so that's very important.
Conservative
Shelly Glover Conservative Saint Boniface, MB
I only have a short period of time left.
One minute, Mr. Chair?
For the majority of your members, are they pro the change or against the change?
President and Chief Executive Officer, Retail Council of Canada
They're pro the elimination of the penny.
Conservative
Shelly Glover Conservative Saint Boniface, MB
Okay, very good.
Also, on the EI rate-setting structure in the budget, is that going to help retailers?
President and Chief Executive Officer, Retail Council of Canada
That will not hinder retailers.
Conservative
Shelly Glover Conservative Saint Boniface, MB
I think the predictability and the stability going ahead—
President and Chief Executive Officer, Retail Council of Canada
Absolutely. The most important things for retailers are the predictability, the stability, and also the transparency. Those—
Conservative
President and Chief Executive Officer, Retail Council of Canada
—were the three key elements.
