Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to have this opportunity to appear before the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities to discuss my department's report on plans and priorities.
Joining me today are some of my departmental officials. Starting at the left is Sherry Harrison, who is our HRSD comptroller. To my immediate left is Janice Charette, the new deputy minister. To my right is the deputy head of Service Canada, Hélène Gosselin, and to her right is Karen Kinsley, the president of Canada Mortgage and Housing.
This is our second opportunity to discuss our new government's initiatives since the new department was created last February. As you know, we consolidated the former Department of Human Resources and Skills Development with the former Department of Social Development. The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation is also included in my portfolio.
This is a large ministry with a very significant mandate. With over 24,000 employees, and planned spending of approximately $80 billion, our department is working hard to make a difference in the lives of countless Canadians. We have programs that help Canadians through all the stages of their lives: from maternity benefits and childcare initiatives, to student support; from labour training and support for the homeless, to programs to help older workers and programs for seniors. All these initiatives have a common theme in that we help build the quality of life of Canadians.
In the labour market, for example, we do this by helping to ensure that Canada has a sufficient number of workers to meet the needs of our changing and growing economy. As members of this committee have undoubtedly come to realize during the course of your ongoing employability study, Canada's labour market is strong. But despite the strength of Canada's labour market, too many Canadians with disabilities, recent immigrants, older workers, aboriginals, and low-skilled individuals remain unemployed. As the growth of Canada's labour force inevitably slows due to an aging population, we have an opportunity to tap into this increasingly important, yet underutilized, labour pool.
Across Canada, from the oil sands of Fort McMurray, Alberta, to the fish processing plants of St. George and Blacks Harbour, New Brunswick, a growing number of sectors are facing labour shortages. At the same time, though, we must make sure that Canada has a high-quality work force, with the skills and knowledge to compete globally. We know that globalization is bringing new competitors and new types of competition. In order to effectively compete, we need to raise the skills of individuals to make them more resilient and more adaptable. In order to fully take advantage of the opportunities presented by the prosperity of today, Canada needs an efficient national labour market. We must, therefore, remove the barriers to learning and worker mobility. Canada needs enough workers with the right skills to meet the needs of a growing economy in a competitive world.
Simultaneously, the department administers the government's programs to help some of the most vulnerable in our society. We have a vision for a strong and competitive Canada, where individuals can make choices that will equip them with the skills to live productive and rewarding lives and to participate in our economy and in our society. Budget 2006 announced several initiatives that pursue this vision, Mr. Chairman, and respond to the priorities of Canadians.
For example, since July, parents of children under six have been receiving cheques of $100 per child each month from the universal child care benefit. About two million Canadian children and their families are benefiting from this new initiatives. We've also increased the pension income credit to $2,000. Over the next two years, this will put nearly $900 million into the hands of our seniors. And we've dedicated $1 billion to the post-secondary education infrastructure trust that will support the provinces and territories in modernizing libraries, laboratories, classrooms, and other infrastructure projects.
We've provided a one-time strategic investment of $1.4 billion for the establishment of three housing trusts, with provinces and territories, for affordable housing, for northern housing, and for aboriginals living off-reserve.
By January, we'll have implemented the apprenticeship incentive grant, which will benefit up to 100,000 first and second-year apprentices.
We are also working with partners to examine ways we can address and improve upon existing homelessness programs. In the meantime, we extended the national homelessness initiative to the end of March 2007, and have invested an additional $37 million from funds unspent in the previous year.
And we have recently announced the targeted initiative for older workers. Some $70 million will be available over two years for a new federal-provincial-territorial program to help displaced older workers in vulnerable communities get new jobs.
For all Canadians, the Service Canada delivery network reaches more communities than ever before. The number of service points has increased by 157, for a total of 477. In its first year of operation, Service Canada paid about $70 billion in benefits to nearly eight million Canadians.
Mr. Chairman, we are focusing on priorities that will have a positive impact on the lives of individual Canadians and on the Canadian economy. That is why I have a responsibility to establish priorities, ensure prudent spending of taxpayer dollars, and ensure that programs and initiatives falling within my portfolio achieve results for those groups for whom they were intended.
This is a responsible course of action, and what the majority of Canadians expect and demand from their government.
Mr. Chairman, as a responsible and accountable government, we have reviewed our programs and refocused our activities to ensure that tax dollars are invested in programs that deliver results, that provide value for money, and that reflect the challenges we face as a country, now and in the future.
I want to emphasize that as we move forward in addressing the new priorities of our new government, we will listen to Canadians to ensure that our new investments meet their needs and their interests. In that spirit we have already embarked on several consultation exercises. They include speaking to my many provincial and territorial colleagues, and listening to Canadians. For example, we're working with provinces, business, academia, and interested organizations on the creation of a recognition of foreign credentials.
We're getting ideas and advice from business, communities, experts, and parents on how to move forward with our child care spaces initiative.
We are consulting provinces on national objectives, roles, responsibilities, accountabilities, and results for post-secondary education and training.
We will also continue to work with the sector councils on ways to build a strong and flexible labour force in Canada. In fact, a few weeks ago I met with the Construction Sector Council, which has been doing excellent work.
I've also been consulting with my international colleagues. In Toronto, I hosted my OECD counterparts as we updated the job strategy that has guided our efforts for the past dozen years. More recently, I was in Moscow where I consulted with my G-8 employment and training colleagues.
We consult because we want to get things right before we act, Mr. Chairman. A year from now, when we meet once again to discuss the report on plans and priorities, I will be very pleased to report on how these consultations have been turned into action by this government.
Finally, before I respond to the committee's questions, Mr. Chairman, I'd like to thank all of you for the work you've done and continue to do on your employability study. Your work on this important file will provide useful insight into this very elaborate and very complex issue and will inform the government. I look forward to examining your insights on this issue when your study is complete.
In conclusion, the 21st century requires a new approach to the labour market, an approach that acknowledges the need to address the significant challenges we face and the new realities of a knowledge-based global economy and an aging workforce. As Canada's new government, we are committed to exploring and implementing innovative solutions to the important labour market challenges that lie ahead. I welcome your suggestions and input as to how we can best achieve this.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for this opportunity to speak, and I welcome the committee's questions.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you for this opportunity to address the committee. I will now field your questions.
