Thank you very much, Mr. Chair
In addition to the titles a minister can give himself, his actions are clearly a consideration. The minister being called “the Minister of Employment and Social Development“ is not a bad thing in itself, if it weren't for the lack of real employment policies. As I said, clause 204 opens the door to propaganda first and foremost. In the next few years, the next couple of years in particular, just before the next election, the government will constantly be able to highlight the word “employment” on television.
Employment development has always been a priority for the NDP. That has been the case since the party was formed, over 50 years ago. However, employment development does not happen through piecemeal actions, one-time actions. We need to keep the big picture in mind. I would also like to remind the committee that the countries in the world that achieve full employment make a concerted effort and use real strategies.
What is really deplorable is that, at the end of the day, this is a marketing exercise to make the government look good, but it does not come with a real strategy, with tangible actions. Mr. Chair, I will not hide the fact that the NDP supported some of the government's measures, including the employment credit, but we are very far from having a strategy here.
There you go. We can now vote on this clause. Thank you very much.