Minister, when this committee was first struck, our first study was around the care economy. As a woman at this table, I was very much concerned that women were undervalued, under-represented and underpaid in the care economy. In your speaking notes, you mentioned the grey tsunami and growing the workforce. You can't go out into the community these days without meeting someone who is caring for a parent, a family member or an elderly person in their life.

I want to ask you specifically about the temporary foreign worker program, which is over-represented in the care economy. Many workers take up work in home—these are caregivers in home—including offering hospice care.

I met a woman recently. She was doing palliative care in a family home. When her client passes away, there is no grieving time. There is no time for them to get new employment. They are immediately in a precarious position and at risk of losing all of their status in Canada.

Is this something that you've heard about? Can you address the precarity of the work they do?

4 p.m.

Liberal

Randy Boissonnault Liberal Edmonton Centre, AB

When it comes to the care economy, I'm going to turn to Paul for some detail on numbers and who's in there.

If we talk about having women in the workforce, which was your opening piece, $10-per-day child care is helping immensely.

On the TFW and the specific case of people being vulnerable in the care sector, we make sure that they.... There are labour market impact assessments. If people are being brought in to do that work, they have to follow rigorous programs.

There was also work we did as a government to make sure that people in the care economy—caring for children, elderly persons or persons with disabilities—would have a pathway to citizenship.

On the particular cases that you are aware of with people in precarious employment, if they are employed by a hospice company, that is definitely something I want to look into.

Deputy Minister, do you have anything on that?

4 p.m.

Paul Thompson Deputy Minister, Department of Employment and Social Development

I would just mention the new budget investment on the sectoral workforce solutions to look at labour force solutions for caregivers—that's one new investment we'll be working on—as well as the commitment for a care economy strategy.

4 p.m.

NDP

Bonita Zarrillo NDP Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC

I saw both of those in the budget. I appreciate them very much, but I want to point out that there are in-home workers who are in very precarious situations, and that needs to be solved. That goes to the “Status for All” campaign.

Minister, are you aware of the “Status for All” campaign?

4:05 p.m.

Liberal

Randy Boissonnault Liberal Edmonton Centre, AB

I am not.

May 6th, 2024 / 4:05 p.m.

NDP

Bonita Zarrillo NDP Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC

The “Status for All” campaign is the opportunity for immigrant and precarious workers to be able to get their permanent residency. Some in B.C. have waited decades to be able to get permanent residency. They've been contributing to the economy, they've been in the care economy for decades and they do not have access to permanent residency.

I understand there is a cross here between immigration and employment, but you talked about growing the workforce. We have many dedicated care workers in this country who are being disrespected and left behind, and are waiting and waiting for permanent residency and to be able to bring in their own families.

How are you going to address that?

4:05 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Bobby Morrissey

Mr. Minister, before you respond, the bells are ringing in the House. I need direction from the committee as to how we'll proceed.

Committee, according to the rules accepted by the various whips, I need direction. Do we have unanimous consent to continue?

4:05 p.m.

Some hon. members

Agreed.

4:05 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Bobby Morrissey

Okay. We'll continue until somebody tells me we cannot. We will need to suspend for some voting time.

Until somebody objects, Mr. Minister, go ahead.

4:05 p.m.

Liberal

Randy Boissonnault Liberal Edmonton Centre, AB

Ms. Zarrillo, you raise a very good point. I think you were right to say that Minister Miller leads on this—it's the immigration file, which is a very important file—to figure out how we honour the work that people have done here and figure out pathways to citizenship.

What we can do at Employment and Social Development Canada is track transition rates to permanent residency. We could take a look at how that happens in different sectors.

If you want a pressure point and to have some thoughts about where we could have provinces help us with this, they can designate certain sectors as their provincial nominee sectors, and that helps people get on a faster pathway to permanent residency. I saw that in the tourism sector in different provinces. I've seen it in certain provinces that want to have more health care workers. They designate their allotment for people in that sector, which helps that subset of folks be able to have access to permanent residency. It could be a solution in this area too.

4:05 p.m.

NDP

Bonita Zarrillo NDP Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC

Minister, have you approached any provinces or territories on this? Are there any sectors that you're actively advocating for with provinces and territories?

4:05 p.m.

Liberal

Randy Boissonnault Liberal Edmonton Centre, AB

I can tell you that construction, health care, early childhood education and green jobs would be the top four, for sure.

4:05 p.m.

NDP

Bonita Zarrillo NDP Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC

It almost always seems like it's a competing thing between construction and the care economy. Both are very gendered work.

Is the care economy and the work that's specifically, or usually, women's work getting as much attention as the traditionally...?

4:05 p.m.

Liberal

Randy Boissonnault Liberal Edmonton Centre, AB

I hope so. We'll take that away.

When I say health care, I mean everybody in health care and the care economy writ large. It's important for us to take care of the elderly and other persons who need home care.

I'm also responsible for foreign credential recognition. I have that file, but I have no power. All I have is money, so we have invested $300 million over the last few years to get to groups on the ground and literally work through the 600 guilds that protect a bunch of professions on the ground—

4:05 p.m.

NDP

Bonita Zarrillo NDP Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC

I'm very interested in that, but I want to put it here, on this table, that women have not had the attention, investments and respect that they deserve in this economy. Almost one-third of our workers are in the care economy.

Thank you.

4:05 p.m.

Liberal

Randy Boissonnault Liberal Edmonton Centre, AB

I agree, and we have work to do on that file, which is why you'll see that a lot of our funding is prioritized to people trying to break into the workforce who are part of groups that aren't in the labour force to the degree that we would like to see.

4:05 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Bobby Morrissey

Thank you.

Mr. Barrett, you have five minutes, please.

4:05 p.m.

Conservative

Michael Barrett Conservative Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON

Minister, how much have you been paid by Navis Group?

4:05 p.m.

Liberal

Randy Boissonnault Liberal Edmonton Centre, AB

Mr. Barrett, that is a matter that took place while I was a private citizen. On those issues, if you want to find out how much I made as a private citizen, I refer you to the Ethics Commissioner.

4:05 p.m.

Conservative

Michael Barrett Conservative Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON

What are your holdings of the one numbered company that you have, 2050877 Alberta Ltd.?

4:05 p.m.

Liberal

Randy Boissonnault Liberal Edmonton Centre, AB

That is not my company.

4:05 p.m.

Conservative

Michael Barrett Conservative Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON

Do you have a numbered company?

4:05 p.m.

Liberal

Randy Boissonnault Liberal Edmonton Centre, AB

I do. When I was working with the Ethics Commissioner to wrap up my private affairs to become a public official again, they indicated that I should use the legal name of the holding company, which I did.

4:05 p.m.

Conservative

Michael Barrett Conservative Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON

So you do have a numbered company.