I'm calling this meeting to order.
Pursuant to Standing Order 81(4), the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Social Development, and Status of Persons with Disabilities will hear today from the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, and from the Honourable Jean-Pierre Blackburn, Minister of Labour, on the estimates.
As this meeting is being broadcast, I would like to take the opportunity to relay two messages to the public before we start the meeting. First, I would like to announce that this committee has launched its 2006 edition of the Centennial Flame Research Award, which has a monetary value of $4,500 this year. Canadians living with disabilities are eligible to apply for this award, and the deadline for submitting a proposal is September 8, 2006. For further information please refer to the front page of the parliamentary website at www.parl.gc.ca.
Secondly, I would also like to take this opportunity to invite people and interested groups that are preoccupied by the question of employability in Canada to follow the work of this committee as it embarks on a related study. The committee will be hearing from witnesses this spring, and we will also be travelling across Canada in the fall to meet with people facing various challenges regarding employability.
To appear as a witness before the committee or express your views in a brief, you may either e-mail the committee at [email protected] or contact the clerk of the committee for further information. Please note that submissions to the committee cannot exceed the ten-page limit and must be accompanied by a one-page summary.
The committee will now devote its attention to Ms. Finley and the message she has for us today.
If I could talk to all committee members, now that I've had a chance to see you in action in terms of the timeframe, I will give you a one-minute warning on your time, and I will cut you off at the appropriate time. We all love to chat around this table. So I will give you fair warning as we move forward, so we can try to get in many rounds of questions.
We will start with the minister's opening comments.