Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister, for appearing.
My questions follow up on what you said in your opening statement about the questions posed to Canadians about growing the economy, staying competitive, especially with some of my Conservative colleagues and their questions. One of the things this government inherited was the worst growth since the Great Depression and unemployment rates that were far too high for a country like ours.
It's through innovative thinking and policies and investments in Canadians that we've been able to turn it around, as you spoke about.
Perhaps you can help my friends across the way understand why these investments are important. In particular, I'd like you to speak on one of the things that I think we don't talk about enough, the Canada training benefit. I can see why the Conservatives wouldn't want to, because they weren't quite innovative and this is why their growth rates reflected that.
Why is this investment in Canadians to ensure they can adapt to a changing economy so important for our future?