Thank you, Mr. Allison.
Minister Finley, thank you for coming before our committee today and certainly for the stellar job you are doing as minister in a very diverse and large portfolio. It's certainly appreciated by this member.
I'd like to ask you a question with respect to your recent initiatives on older workers. I'm sure you're very well aware of the many opportunities and challenges that exist with Canada's aging population. Right now the statistic I've heard is that one out of eight Canadians is over the age of 65, and in less than 25 years that statistic is going to be one out of five. In a mere 37 years, when Mr. Storseth and I fall into that category, I'm sure it's going to be even larger.
But as Mr. Storseth pointed out to this committee earlier today, Canada is facing a growing shortage of skilled workers. And clearly, as Canada begins facing the labour shortages, we cannot afford to lose that experience of the human capital of older workers, especially those older workers who are left jobless because of industry downturns or are in some communities where jobs are harder to find, because of higher unemployment or because they are reliant on a single employer or a single industry.
Nevertheless, we need to ensure that these workers remain in the labour market and can keep on making an important contribution to their communities.
Minister, can you explain the recently announced targeted initiative for older workers and how it will help achieve these objectives?