Evidence of meeting #34 for Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities in the 39th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was trade.
11:45 a.m.
Conservative
Lynne Yelich Conservative Blackstrap, SK
Thank you.
I guess I shouldn't have cited only replacement legislation. I was wondering how that affects Canada as a whole. I'd just like your view.
But right now I'd like a recap from each and every one of you. If you could leave us with one point today, what would that be? In our questioning we've been talking about employability, particularly skills and labour shortages. I want to know from each of you what message you would like to leave with us to take back to our committee study.
11:45 a.m.
Chair, Muscular Dystrophy Canada
As a basic minimum, people with disabilities want to work. They're eager to work. They're educated. They want to get out there in the community and be contributing members of society.
The challenge is that they need a basic foundation; they need their legs. If they don't have a wheelchair they're not going to get to work. If they don't have the ability to fund that wheelchair or their employment creates a disincentive for them to work, they're not going to work and they're going to be a further drain on government. So I think a wheelchair is a basic sort of foundation.
11:45 a.m.
Conservative
11:45 a.m.
President, Canadian Dental Hygienists Association
I would request that you reintegrate the mouth to the rest of the body and look at the impact that oral health has on the health of Canadians. Open up access to care by allowing direct payment for dental hygiene services.
11:45 a.m.
Business Manager, International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers - Local 97
As far as I'm concerned, there wouldn't be a skills shortage in the construction trades, which is the industry that provides tradesmen for the rest of the industries. For example, if a hospital needs a plumber, they don't start an apprenticeship; they take a plumber who typically comes from the construction industry and he goes and works for the hospital. Factories don't have apprenticeships. Construction is the factory that produces tradesmen.
If the governments in the past across Canada had supported training and apprenticeships, such as they've done in Alberta and in Quebec, there would be no skills shortage and there would be plenty of people lined up to get into the apprenticeships, whether they come from offshore—
11:45 a.m.
Conservative
Lynne Yelich Conservative Blackstrap, SK
Thank you both for suggesting that Alberta and Quebec have models. I think that's going to be very helpful.
I also want to say I do admire your careers. I think that is a real laudable career to have, to do some of that height work.
11:45 a.m.
Business Manager, District Council 38, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades
It's the best view in town and you don't have to pay for it.
What I'll leave you with here is to put Canadians first. Let's look locally. Try to hire Canadian skilled workers locally. If there's nobody locally, let's look provincially and make sure there's nobody around the province who is unemployed. Beyond that, let's look beyond the borders of our individual provinces and make sure there are no Canadians unemployed.
After that, I have no issue. If there is a genuine shortage of skilled workers in a trade and we have a foreign worker who possesses those skills, let's get him in. Maybe he's going to wind up being a new Canadian.
I'd also like to see us refocus our attention on the apprenticeship programs in Canada too, and really strengthen the trades again. For too long, too many people thought the trades were a dirty thing and something you did if you weren't smart enough in school. It's absolutely amazing how far the trades have come, how much knowledge you have to possess, and how much technical knowledge is required to perform the trades that we perform.
So it's a really viable future for young people in all of Canada. I want to see more young people getting into it, because an average age of 46 years is not saying much for our trades right now.
11:50 a.m.
Chief Executive Officer, United Chinese Community Enrichment Services Society
Thank you. I'm going to keep it short.
What are we asking for? The one impression I want to leave with you is to call for leadership. We want the government to act in this role, to bring people together, to put this issue on the national agenda. If we can't put it on the first ministers' table, let's put it on the ministers' table, so that when the ministers of industry meet nationally, they put it on the table and make it welcoming for new Canadians to come here. Create a cooperative effort to connect new Canadians with business, with communities, with trade unions, and with employers.
11:50 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Dean Allison
Thanks very much.
Once again, I would just like to thank all the witnesses for being here today. It is very important for us to get a national perspective.
As you heard from some of our colleagues earlier, when we were in St. John's, Newfoundland, they weren't really thrilled with the thought of maybe sending trades across the country, but here we are in B.C., where we hear the message loud and clear. You'd like to see Canadians have an opportunity first. We do have to deal with this vast, great land that we have and try to accommodate everyone with the requests we have.
So once again, thank you very much for taking time out of your busy schedules to be here today. It is greatly appreciated, and we wish you the best for the rest of the day.
The meeting is adjourned.