Evidence of meeting #137 for Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was point.
A video is available from Parliament.
1:25 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Bryan May
Thank you.
Thank you, Wayne. I didn't know you were from Saint John—Rothesay.
MP Falk, please. We have approximately three to four minutes.
1:25 p.m.
Conservative
Rosemarie Falk Conservative Battlefords—Lloydminster, SK
Awesome.
Thank you for being here today.
I have a question for Minister Hajdu. I came in on a by-election in 2017, so last summer I specifically went on a Canada summer jobs tour. I met with every single organization that would meet with me and that received funding, or that contacted my office that they didn't receive funding because of the arbitrary values test that was placed by your government on the application for Canada summer jobs.
I've actually had people contact my office this year, and even last year, saying, “The government has doubled the money.” In reality, what happened is we cut full-time jobs into part-time jobs of six weeks instead of 12 or 14 weeks, or whatever organizations were getting previously. I had organizations getting six weeks of funding.
Where does the six weeks come from? Most university...even high school students are off for eight weeks and looking for work. Organizations have a hard time finding students to apply for these jobs because six weeks isn't enough. That's not enough money for them to earn to go back to school in the fall. I heard this first-hand from employers, let alone the employers who just weren't able to qualify whatsoever because they couldn't check the box with good conscience.
Where does this six weeks come from? Why is there a cut in jobs?
1:25 p.m.
Liberal
Patty Hajdu Liberal Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON
Speaking through the chair, thank you very much, MP Falk.
I will say that we're extremely proud of doubling the Canada summer jobs, 70,000 good-quality jobs across the country—
1:25 p.m.
Conservative
Rosemarie Falk Conservative Battlefords—Lloydminster, SK
But you didn't, because they got six weeks.
1:25 p.m.
Liberal
Patty Hajdu Liberal Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON
—for young people who often are not going to have the opportunity—
1:25 p.m.
Conservative
1:25 p.m.
Liberal
1:25 p.m.
Conservative
Rosemarie Falk Conservative Battlefords—Lloydminster, SK
Yes.
How are you doubling a job when you're cutting the weeks by six to eight weeks? How is that doubling jobs?
1:25 p.m.
Conservative
1:25 p.m.
Liberal
Patty Hajdu Liberal Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON
Mr. Chair, the unique characteristic of the Canada summer jobs program is that members of Parliament have control over how the money is allocated in their ridings, starting from who will be funded. They can move them around, prioritize certain organizations, change the number of weeks, change the number of students. They can decrease the number of students from one organization and increase another—
1:25 p.m.
Conservative
Rosemarie Falk Conservative Battlefords—Lloydminster, SK
It doesn't necessarily mean it's approved. The department has the final word on that—
1:25 p.m.
Liberal
Patty Hajdu Liberal Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON
They can give an organization 12 weeks, or they can give an organization four weeks. It's really customizable by MPs.
Thank you, colleagues, for reminding me about that, because we're about to begin this process.
I will say, though, that the Harper Conservatives had the worst youth unemployment rate since the 1990s.
1:30 p.m.
Conservative
1:30 p.m.
Conservative
1:30 p.m.
Liberal
Patty Hajdu Liberal Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON
We seek to double the number of work opportunities, which the Harper Conservatives—
1:30 p.m.
Conservative
Rosemarie Falk Conservative Battlefords—Lloydminster, SK
Minister, I see that you're going back to the Harper Conservatives, and I'm just not interested in that. I'm interested in what's happening now, under this Trudeau—
1:30 p.m.
Conservative
1:30 p.m.
Conservative
Rosemarie Falk Conservative Battlefords—Lloydminster, SK
Last year, there were more than 1,500 organizations that were not allowed to have funding because of what their values were. We had more than 1,500 organizations that were denied, which could have meant two, three, four, five jobs per organization. It's interesting to see you justify or not even comment on that. You're going to comment on things from however many years ago, but not on what's relevant today.
Over 1,500 organizations didn't receive funding because of their conscience. It's so disappointing to see this government not respecting freedom of conscience, freedom of choice. It's your choice what you want to believe and what you don't want to believe.