Indeed. Thank you very much, Madam Chair.
If I may, I will read the motion and go over it with you. You have had a copy for a while now, and I would prefer that we go over it together. It addresses a recommendation made by the committee in 2006. The recommendation reads as follows:
That the national budget for the Summer Career Placements Program be adjusted each year to reflect changes in the full-time student population aged 15 to 30, the level of unemployment among this group during the summer months, minimum wage rates and the cost of living.
And whereas this recommendation has never been implemented as part of Canada Summer Jobs (CSJ), the successor to the Summer Career Placements Program, it is therefore proposed pursuant to Standing Order 108(2):
That the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills Development, Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities recommend that the government immediately increase the base budget of Canada Summer Jobs so that it properly reflects changes that have occurred since 2006, and that this motion be reported to the House at the earliest opportunity.
Having witnessed it in your own ridings and provinces, you are no doubt aware that the minimum wage has gone up since 2006. If we calculate the average across Canada, minimum wage is $9.36.
If you consider that the budget will stay at $107.5 million, that will mean a loss of 1,350 student jobs in 2011 alone. Therefore, to ensure that student employment continues to thrive and to support the economic development of many municipalities in our regions, we need to increase the funding for Canada Summer Jobs to help every interested student find adequate employment during the summer months.