Evidence of meeting #76 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 program.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Executive Director, East Prince Youth Development Centre Inc.
In 2015 our program went from 17 weeks in the classroom to 10, and in 2015, we were told that we could not teach any more soft skills, life skills, or parenting skills.
Conservative
Conservative
Steven Blaney Conservative Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC
Do you know the name of this program, Madam Broome?
Executive Director, East Prince Youth Development Centre Inc.
It was Skills Link.
Executive Director, East Prince Youth Development Centre Inc.
That's what we were funded under.
Conservative
Steven Blaney Conservative Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC
You were funded under Skills Link. Do you feel that this was a program that was helping those far from the labour market to access the labour market?
Conservative
Steven Blaney Conservative Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC
So you would recommend more of this program, not less?
Conservative
Steven Blaney Conservative Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC
Is your organization benefiting from—it's the same in French and in English—the homelessness partnering strategy? Have you ever benefited from this program?
Executive Director, East Prince Youth Development Centre Inc.
We've had our clients participate in that as well, yes.
Conservative
Steven Blaney Conservative Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC
Did you have the experience of sometimes having funding and sometimes not when you made requests? Do you have a hard time accessing those funds?
Executive Director, East Prince Youth Development Centre Inc.
We have a hard time, because there is a waiting list of over a year right now in Summerside.
Conservative
Steven Blaney Conservative Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC
That's right. Okay. So instead of reinventing the wheel, you would suggest that those programs, whether it's Skills Link or the homelessness partnering strategy, be better funded and maybe more.... You've mentioned the duration of those programs. What is it normally?
Executive Director, East Prince Youth Development Centre Inc.
On the duration, I found that when we were doing the 17 weeks in the classroom, we had the opportunity to start out with the soft skills and build the self-confidence before we got into needing the supports for employment skills on the proper way to write resumés and for interview skills and so on. When that was cut to 10 weeks, that really rushed how we had to do things.
Really, everything is based on stats. If you don't have good employment stats, nobody wants to hear from you.
Conservative
Steven Blaney Conservative Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC
There's the number of weeks but also the duration of the program, because every time you have to submit for a program....
Were you applying for just a 10-week program or for more than a few sessions? Were these programs over a couple of months?
Executive Director, East Prince Youth Development Centre Inc.
For a number of years, we were applying for one intake per year, and in 2015 we were asked if we could do two intakes a year, which we did. In 2016, we were told that there would be a call for proposals for three years, at two intakes per year. We put in our application for that, for the three-year process, and just last week I finally received notice that we would not be getting funding.
Conservative
Steven Blaney Conservative Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC
Now this is for three years, so that's why you mentioned.... I am a member of Parliament. I have seen those organizations fighting to get it, and it's very disappointing. Of course, now I am in the opposition, so I can't.... When you go out, you will see a nice hockey rink of $5.1 million, which will be there for probably two months. This government is currently imposing a tax on businesses that is impacting the labour market, or they are spending money away in Asia, hundreds of millions of dollars. That certainly doesn't help to create jobs.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Bryan May
Excuse me, Mr. Blaney. If you can bring it back to the topic, that would be great. Thank you.
Conservative
Steven Blaney Conservative Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC
Sure.
That's why we need to....
We have to walk the talk, as they say. That's my message.
We talked about two programs, and two important recommendations were made about the duration and funding. It will be important to keep this in mind when we make our recommendations.
Mr. Johnson, your presentation was very interesting. I would like to come back to your recommendation about funding. You want francophones to have more opportunities to gain experience. Can you be more specific in terms of your recommendations?
Chair, Fédération de la jeunesse canadienne-française
Thank you for your question.
To ensure the sustainability and vitality of francophone minority communities, those experiences must take place in the communities.
There is a problem with youth mobility or migration. We are losing young people from our communities. Sometimes, they don't return to the community to contribute to the local economy. The economy certainly must be strengthened, but we also have to promote the cultural vitality of our communities, as well as citizen leadership. Our young people must work within institutions and organizations that represent their communities and participate in the making of decisions that affect them.
At the Fédération de la jeunesse canadienne-française, we talk a lot about the industrial research assistance program, IRAP, which contains a component for young people to help them develop their ability to contribute to their community.
Conservative
Steven Blaney Conservative Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC
You talked about the young Canada works program and said that it is important that these jobs be in minority language communities. Is that correct?