To answer Mr. Martin's question, I would like to recall something that may be of interest to our Conservative friends. Mention was made in the Speech from the Throne of a new youth summer jobs program which will be announced sometime in the coming weeks. We're wondering what that means exactly. If new initiatives are being considered, then perhaps the budget should be increased as well.
What impact will this initiative have on the budget? The minimum wage is going up. As I mentioned earlier, the minimum wage in Canada will increase to $8.58 in May 2009. That's up from $7.30 in 2006. We're looking at a $1.28 increase in the minimum wage. In terms of how the current budget is impacted, this initiative translates into an increase of $7.1 million, or 6.6%. Still to answer your...
Mr. Chair, perhaps they are not interested, but I would at least appreciate a little respect. Speaking out loud when someone is commenting is very disruptive.
On a practical level, could the government take this kind of initiative this year? If we look at what was done in 2007 when the government restored funding that had been cut, the answer is yes. It advised its regional offices right away in April and they were able to make the necessary adjustments. They could do the same thing this time around by April. All they would need to do this month is accept our recommendation, provided of course that it is adopted by the majority of members.