Finance Committee on May 15th, 2014

[Sean Reid]

I don't have the immediate number handy, but it's a significant portion. Virtually all of our members pay into—

[Rodger Cuzner, Liberal, Cape Breton—Canso, NS]

You guys do track that, though.

[Sean Reid]

We do. We all pay into a training fund that is robust.

[Rodger Cuzner, Liberal, Cape Breton—Canso, NS]

What is the participation rate? Would most of your members be involved in the apprenticeship and training?

[Sean Reid]

It's about 95%.

[Rodger Cuzner, Liberal, Cape Breton—Canso, NS]

What about your commitment to hiring apprentices?

[Sean Reid]

Apprentices are 35% of our workforce.

[Rodger Cuzner, Liberal, Cape Breton—Canso, NS]

Is that right across the membership?

[Sean Reid]

That's throughout western Canada. The ratios in Ontario don't allow us to do 35%, but where we can, we have 35% in apprenticeship.

[Rodger Cuzner, Liberal, Cape Breton—Canso, NS]

Obviously, with the increase in the number of temporary foreign workers, I would imagine that the amount of money invested in training over the last six years would have increased considerably as well proportionally.

[Sean Reid]

There's no question. Our membership invests substantially in training. We've been very supportive of the work that the federal government has done on training in the recent budgets. But, at the end of the day, again we're talking about significant economic enterprises out west that require a scale of workforce that we don't have.

[Rodger Cuzner, Liberal, Cape Breton—Canso, NS]

What percentage of your members will access and utilize the job grant?

[Sean Reid]

Our expectation is that it will be substantially leveraged by our membership. PCA has been a strong supporter of it.

[Rodger Cuzner, Liberal, Cape Breton—Canso, NS]

Mr. Campbell, I'll turn to you with regard to the whole situation around demutualization.

We're seeing our rural communities just sort of gutted, really, for a couple of different reasons. What kind of impact is this going to have on small communities across the country?

[The Chair, Conservative, James Rajotte]

You have one minute.

[Blair Campbell]

I know that the availability of insurance affects the availability of credit to buy properties and to improve properties, farms, businesses, and whatnot. If the mutuals aren't there to provide the services that they currently provide....

[Rodger Cuzner, Liberal, Cape Breton—Canso, NS]

Is there a risk they could be snapped up by outside buyers and—

[Blair Campbell]

That's a significant risk.

[Rodger Cuzner, Liberal, Cape Breton—Canso, NS]

—they would just sort of galvanize around one service provider?

[Blair Campbell]

Yes.

[Rodger Cuzner, Liberal, Cape Breton—Canso, NS]

The moms and pops are gone, and the big box providers are the ones that....

[Blair Campbell]

That's right.

Decisions will be made on a different street. They won't be made on Main Street in Summerside. They'll be made on Bay Street, perhaps. Decisions are made differently on that basis. I know from our own experience pricing is a big factor, especially in the rural areas.

[The Chair, Conservative, James Rajotte]

Thank you, Mr. Cuzner.

We'll go to Mr. Saxton, please.

[Andrew Saxton, Conservative, North Vancouver, BC]

Thanks to our witnesses for being here today.

I'd also like to begin by recognizing and thanking Mrs. Jennison-Yung and Mrs. Nelson for being here today.

I was, as many people were, moved by their story. I want to assure you that our government is serious about reforming this program to make sure that Canadians do come first. That's extremely important.

I'd just like to ask you what you think about the penalties we've proposed to employers who abuse the program.

[Shaunna Jennison-Yung]

You'll have to let me know what—