Evidence of meeting #48 for Finance in the 43rd Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was child.
A video is available from Parliament.
Conservative
Ted Falk Conservative Provencher, MB
I'd like to ask a question as well of Dr. Collins from the CMA.
As you know, budget 2021 did not include an increase in health transfers to the provinces, and this of course is something that the provinces had been asking for, and they were really emphasizing how important those transfers would be.
Could you discuss the long-term impact that this is going to have on our health care system?
President, Canadian Medical Association
Thank you for the question.
In the context of the pandemic, what we don't yet know is what the full impact will be on wait times and on mental health needs going forward, for example. We can safely predict that there will be a great need in increased costs.
Clearly there needs to be a collaborative approach between the federal and provincial governments in working on how best to meet those needs going forward, in a system that was already challenged prior to the beginning of the pandemic.
Conservative
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Wayne Easter
Thank you to you both.
We will now turn to Ms. Dzerowicz, who will be followed by Mr. Ste-Marie.
Liberal
Julie Dzerowicz Liberal Davenport, ON
Thank you so much, Mr. Chair.
I want to say a huge thanks to all the presenters for the excellent presentations today.
Because I have limited time, I'm going to start off with some questions to Canada's Building Trades Unions, and then I'll finish off with the Little Portugal on Dundas BIA.
Mr. Kucheran and Mr. Strickland, I want to say thank you so much for your important testimony today and for your leadership right across our country.
First, there is a significant amount of money in budget 2021 invested in skills and training, including quite a bit of money around apprenticeship. Can you speak to how important this is in helping with job creation and economic growth?
Chairman, Executive Board, Canada's Building Trades Unions
Thank you, Ms. Dzerowicz. I have a couple of points before I hand the question to Mr. Strickland.
The items listed in the budget do a couple of things. One is that it has put money into areas that are needed to stimulate the economy. That's one benefit.
Second, in a lot of these initiatives, the intention is to engage citizens who don't already participate in the construction industry. I'm talking about aboriginal people, women, racialized communities and under-represented communities. That is very important. You know that our industry is going to lose through attrition many construction workers over the next 10 years, as reported by BuildForce Canada. We need to backfill those members. Besides creating opportunities for under-represented groups in Canada with not just jobs but good-paying careers, that will go a long way to backfill our workforce, and not only that, build the economy. It's going to help in a number of areas.
I'll defer to Mr. Strickland, please.
Executive Director, Canada's Building Trades Unions
To add to Robert's comments, we're pleased to see the significant amount of dollars going towards training initiatives and apprenticeship for multiple sectors, not just construction, contained in budget 2021.
For construction, we need to attract more young people into the industry. We're an aging industry. We also need to attract more diverse groups into the industry.
The average age of the apprentice in construction right now is 27 years of age, whereas 20 years ago it was 18 or 19 years of age. Therefore, construction is often not the first choice of young people. We need to make it more of a first choice for young people and provide them with those long-term, sustainable careers in construction through apprenticeship.
Liberal
Julie Dzerowicz Liberal Davenport, ON
Thank you so much. I have just one quick question.
We know that there have been a lot of shortages within the trades, and within construction in particular. How can we reduce some of the barriers in terms of mobility for labour, maybe moving from one part of the country to another, or from different parts, just to maybe fill some of those demands?
Please take only 30 seconds, because I have to go to the next witness.
Executive Director, Canada's Building Trades Unions
Regarding the skilled trades workforce mobility tax reduction, right now construction workers aren't eligible under the Income Tax Act to deduct expenses for work-related travel, whereas salespeople are, professionals are. You can have a sales professional go to a construction project and deduct their travel expenses, but the person who's installing the product that the salesperson is selling is not able to deduct the same expenses if they have to travel the same amount of distance.
It is a very important issue for us, and we've been advocating long and hard on this issue. We think this inequity needs to be addressed to improve mobility for workers across Canada.
Liberal
Julie Dzerowicz Liberal Davenport, ON
Thank you so much.
I want to turn now to Ms. Taborda.
Ms. Taborda, thanks for being here. You have a very unique role. You wear two hats. One is that not only are you a branch manager and you've been actually helping with emergency supports for businesses within the last year and a half, but you are also the chair of the local BIA, so you're actually trying to help support our local businesses. Thanks for your important testimony and contribution today.
You've talked about how the business supports, particularly the rent subsidy and the wage subsidy, have been lifelines, but you also talked about feeling that it needs to be extended beyond what we're proposing in budget 2021. How long do you think we need to extend it?
Branch Manager, Little Portugal on Dundas BIA
First of all, thank you for the question. It is a pleasure being here.
At this point, as you know, we're waiting to find out if we're going to come out of the lockdown. This lockdown has created major issues, because a lot of businesses have not been able to operate at all. For example, there is no such thing as curbside pickup for a hair salon.
Even when they start, when these people are finally able to operate, they have back rent that they have to pay. They have their staff that they have to pay. They have all sorts of bills already accumulated. We originally had considered that we would be out of the woods maybe in March, but it has now continued to drag on. We should be prepared to look at this for at least until the end of the year in order to give them time to be able to pay their debts without getting into further obligations.
Liberal
Julie Dzerowicz Liberal Davenport, ON
Thank you. I have a last question for you.
You talked a bit about the Canada digital adoption program and said that this is very positive in helping local businesses digitize, modernize and be able to be competitive moving forward. However, you indicated that you would advise us on a number of criteria for us to be thoughtful about, including certain criteria as we move forward to implement the program.
Could you reiterate what those criteria might be?
Branch Manager, Little Portugal on Dundas BIA
The main thing, as I indicated, is the language barriers. We have to be very sensitive to people who do not speak English or don't have English—like me—as their first language. Every once in a while, I slip into Portuguese, but I think I can get around pretty well.
I do have a lot of our membership who have issues, not just Portuguese but others as well, and if we are not prepared to sit down with them and explain it in their own language, it's going to be very difficult. Keep in mind that all of these people have Facebook, meaning they all understand technology; they just don't know it. When you are able to bridge that gap and spin that little bit more extra time, we are going to win and get them there.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Wayne Easter
Thank you, all.
We're going to Mr. Ste-Marie, who will be followed by Mr. Julian.
Gabriel Ste-Marie Bloc Joliette, QC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
First, I have a comment about the child care system. I want to make clear that Quebec has not just early childhood centres, known as CPEs, but also home day cares and private day cares. Of course, the grandparents can also watch the kids. It's just that child care is more widely available in Quebec.
Generally, what we are seeing is that parents seem to prefer CPEs given the requirement for a large number of educators, who must have completed a three-year college program in order to work there. What's more, the programs are designed around optimal child development and well-being, and values such as respect.
It is true that much work remains; it's always possible to do better. That said, Quebec has more than just CPEs; it has a full range of child care services. Private day care centres and home day care centres qualify for subsidies and can therefore provide reduced-contribution places.
As a result, we are seeing more women enter the workforce, and ultimately, the taxes they pay are helping to fund the system. Obviously, as Quebeckers, we take great pride in our child care system.
Now I will move on to my questions, which are about a different issue entirely.
My question is for Ms. Collins, and perhaps Mr. Villeneuve or Ms. Hamza can answer afterwards.
Ms. Collins, do you think the federal government provides enough funding for health care? If not, how much should it provide?
President, Canadian Medical Association
We are very pleased with what we saw with the introduction of Bill C-25 and the $4 billion one-time CHT top-up to address the backlog created by the first and second waves of the pandemic, but we know there are going to be higher costs. As I stated earlier, it is yet unknown what the true cost of the backlog will be from the first, second and third waves. We know that public health has been stretched by the pandemic and will need further support. As has been alluded to already, Canadians will have increased needs for mental health care as a result of the pandemic, and beyond that, whatever the needs are of COVID patients going forward.
Added to that is what we've mentioned, that there is no plan in budget 2021 to address the implementation and ramping up, if you will, of primary care access, which really is so critical to meeting all of those needs. That's a common thread throughout those issues. There will be increased costs going forward, and we very much look forward to being at those tables—and here I speak on behalf of the CMA—with the federal, provincial and all levels of government in discussing how those needs can be met going forward.
Bloc
Gabriel Ste-Marie Bloc Joliette, QC
Thank you.
Ms. Hamza or Mr. Villeneuve, would you care to comment?
Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Nurses Association
I'll quickly add something different to what Dr. Collins said. We are just shy of 20% of our population being over the age of 65, and the Conference Board of Canada report, which I believe was commissioned by CMA, told us that there's going to be a 20% rise in costs due to aging alone over the coming decade. That's $93 billion.
While we certainly need funding to help stabilize systems coming out of the pandemic, we have a larger issue of what we're going to do with all of those older folks. There were somewhere around 200,000 long-term care beds in the system in 2017-18. There was a shortage then of 63,000 spaces, with people waiting, and the Conference Board estimates that we need another 200,000 beds. Unless we start to fund home care and primary care, as Dr. Collins said, and palliative end-of-life care and other services, we're going to be in trouble, and those people are old now. The baby boomers are there now, so we're concerned that we must act. It's not a theory; it's real right now.
Bloc
Gabriel Ste-Marie Bloc Joliette, QC
Very good. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
As you just said, Mr. Villeneuve, health care funding must take the aging population into account. It may be necessary to apply a more suitable formula, as opposed to just per capita funding.
The Prime Minister said he wanted to discuss health care funding with his provincial counterparts, but not until after the pandemic. I find that odd. We are in the midst of a public health emergency, so what better time than now?
My next question is also for Ms. Collins, and Mr. Villeneuve or Ms. Hamza.
When do you think the first ministers' conference to discuss health care funding should take place?