—old age security pensions will suppress wage growth while allowing corporate profits and CEO compensation to keep on rising.
The EI system needs to be improved by increasing benefit levels. CPP and OAS need to be strengthened, not weakened. Doubling CPP benefits on a fully funded basis could provide all Canadians with decent and secure retirement incomes.
To address the skills gaps, we need to invest more in training and education, particularly in national workplace training programs and in education for aboriginal Canadians, and ensure decent work opportunities for women, racialized workers, and disabled Canadians.
We need to diversify our economy to become less dependent on exports of barely processed resources by providing support for manufacturing and for development of key value-added industry sectors, as my friend here has talked about, so that Canadians have the opportunity to work in decent jobs close to home.
Instead of trade deals that sacrifice the rights of Canadians to foreign investors, we need fair trade deals that support strategic value-added industries and support higher wage growth with improved labour and social standards, in Canada and around the world.