The current government seems to agree with the idea that employers should do more on training.They say that in their budget.... I will be passing a submission to the committee later. The budget mentions that employers need to provide more training for their workers. We agree with the need for spending more money on training, and we have two suggestions, or ideas, on how to do this.
First is the idea of a training levy, like the one the Province of Quebec has, in which 1% has to be allocated for training, and if not, it goes to fund a system managed by employers and unions. A second model is matched funding. Any investment in training by the federal government or the province would have to be matched by the employer in some kind of formula to guarantee that employers pay for the training of their workers.
I want to quickly mention the issue of literacy and foundation skills. I don't need to mention to you all the numbers that say we need literacy training in this country or that literacy training is completely linked to productivity and the economic growth of the country.
I want to mention just three points that we want the committee to consider on literacy and foundation skills. First, funding has to be allocated, and it has to be allocated specifically for this reason, not just as part of a general training package. And those funds have to be directed to the public education system. English and French as a second language should be considered as an important part. We want a coordinated and integrated approach between the public school system, the employers, and the union to design and deliver these programs.
I see that you are wanting to cut me off, and I will have to come back later to some of the questions.