Evidence of meeting #25 for Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities in the 45th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was students.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Dental Hygienists Association
I understand the question, but it cut out at the very end of the translation.
Liberal
Natilien Joseph Liberal Longueuil—Saint-Hubert, QC
Okay. I'll start again.
How will the inclusion of dental hygienists in the student loan forgiveness program make a real difference to recruitment capacity in underserved areas?
Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Dental Hygienists Association
That's an excellent question. We don't have data on that, because they can't even apply until March 26 this year. They're not accepting applications.
We have heard anecdotally from many students that they are going to commit to working in rural and remote regions. We've heard from students from across the country. They're very excited about this program. We don't have any hard data, because the program hasn't even launched yet.
Liberal
Natilien Joseph Liberal Longueuil—Saint-Hubert, QC
I have another question, but I don't know whether I have time to ask it.
In your opinion—
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Bobby Morrissey
That will conclude the first hour.
We'll suspend for a few moments while we transition to the next panel.
We are suspended.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Bobby Morrissey
The committee is back in session for the second panel today.
I would like to welcome the following witnesses: Mr. Robert Henderson, president, BioTalent Canada; and Dr. Ayla Azad, chief executive officer, Canadian Chiropractic Association.
Appearing online, we have Mr. Dana Stephenson, chief executive officer and co-founder of Riipen Networks Inc.
You have the option to participate in the official language of your choice in the room. Please, if you need interpretation, have the headset ready with the channel and language you are going to participate in.
As well, if you are appearing virtually, click on the globe icon at the bottom of your Surface and choose the official language of your choice. If there is a breakdown, get my attention. We'll suspend while it's corrected.
Please avoid tapping on the microphone boom, for the benefit of our interpreters. As well, direct all questions through the chair.
With that, to our witnesses, each of you has a five-minute opening statement.
We'll begin with Mr. Henderson. You have up to five minutes.
Mr. Henderson, you have the floor.
Robert Henderson President, BioTalent Canada
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Good morning, everyone.
Chair and members of the committee, thanks very much for the invitation to appear today.
My name's Rob Henderson. I'm here on behalf of BioTalent Canada, the national sectoral workforce development partner for Canada's bioeconomy, meaning Canada's biotechnology sector. We're also an employer delivery partner under the student work placement program, which is, I think, the reason I'm here today.
We're a national not-for-profit organization, and we work with approximately 210,000 employees and 12,000 employers who constitute Canada's biotech sector. We work with more than 5,000 of those employers across biotechnology, health, agricultural, clean biomanufacturing and life sciences, sectors that are talent-intensive, innovation-driven and essential to Canada's economic and public health resilience.
Since 2018, through the student work placement program, BioTalent Canada has placed no less than 17,000 people, which constitutes almost 9% of the entire biotechnology workforce.
I'd like to speak briefly to how divisions 34, 36 and 44 of part 5 of Bill C-15 align with the goals of the student work placement program and why that alignment matters for Canadian students, employers and taxpayers.
First, division 36, which amends the Canada Student Financial Assistance Act, reinforces an important principle: Federal supports should prioritize Canadian learners and Canadian institutions. From a student work placement program perspective, this matters because our program is built to connect students studying in Canada with employers operating in Canada, many of them small and medium-sized enterprises.
Indeed, 80% of Canada's biotechnology sector consists of small and medium-sized enterprises of fewer than 50 staff members. In fact, 50% of those have fewer than 10 staff members. Therefore, these are very small and medium-sized enterprises, which a lot of times is surprising to people and their understanding of Canada's biotechnology sector. They usually think that these are the larger pharmaceutical firms. In terms of employment, that is not the case. The largest employers are small and medium-sized enterprises.
Also, 70% of employers in Canada's biotech sector have no human resources expertise on staff, so you have a lot of scientists doing human resources, which is often like getting a plumber to do your taxes.
President, BioTalent Canada
They're not trained in this field, and it's sometimes very challenging, which is why the student work placement program is so important. Clear eligibility rules and alignment between federal and provincial systems reduce friction, speed up hiring and give employers confidence, especially small and medium-sized enterprises without HR or compliance teams.
Through the student work placement program, BioTalent Canada helps employers offer paid, hands-on work experience to post-secondary students while receiving wage subsidies and other employer supports, including training, that lower the risk of hiring early career talent. This model works particularly well in the bioeconomy, where regulated environments, specialized skills and long onboarding periods can otherwise discourage employers from hiring students.
Finally, division 34, while technical in nature, reflects the same broader policy objective we see across Bill C-15, and that is modernizing federal frameworks so programs can be delivered efficiently, predictably and with accountability. That predictability is critical for national programs, like the student work placement program, that operate at scale and rely on partnerships between government, sector organizations and employers.
In closing, Bill C-15 supports a coherent talent pipeline, which is critical, from early supports to post-secondary education, paid work experience and long-term employment in Canada. BioTalent Canada is proud to play a role in that pipeline and continues to do so, helping students gain meaningful experience and helping employers build the workforce they need to innovate and grow here at home.
Thank you. I look forward to your questions.
Liberal
Ayla Azad Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Chiropractic Association
Mr. Chair and members of the committee, thank you for the opportunity to appear today.
My name is Ayla Azad. I have been a chiropractor for 30 years, and I am the CEO of the Canadian Chiropractic Association.
Today, I am speaking on behalf of the CCA, which represents more than 9,000 doctors of chiropractic across Canada. More importantly, I am speaking on behalf of the millions of Canadians living with pain, limited mobility and physical disability who rely on access to musculoskeletal care to live and work.
Each year, 4.7 million Canadians seek care from chiropractors. These are seniors trying to stay independent, parents working physically demanding jobs, or people managing chronic pain or injury who simply want to keep moving, stay employed and participate in their communities.
Chiropractors are primary contact health care providers, trained to diagnose and manage musculoskeletal conditions using evidence-based, non-invasive, drug-free care. For many patients, access to chiropractic care is the difference between functioning and not functioning.
Today, we are here to discuss clause 573 of Bill C-15 and the unintended consequences these provisions could have on patient access, particularly in rural, northern and underserved communities.
Canada faces a significant training bottleneck for chiropractic. There are only two chiropractic education programs in the entire country—one in English at the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College in Toronto, and one in French at Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières.
Two programs cannot meet the workforce needs of a nation this size. As a result, approximately 30% of Canadian chiropractors are educated in the United States or internationally at fully accredited institutions. This is not a loophole. It is a necessity to meet Canada's health care needs.
As currently drafted, Bill C-15 risks cutting off access to federal student financial assistance for students who must study outside Canada at private or for-profit institutions, even when they return home to practise and serve Canadian patients. Chiropractors are also excluded from the Canada student loan forgiveness program despite providing essential care in high-need communities.
If these barriers remain, patients will pay the price. Canada is already facing a serious health human resource crisis, with many Canadians unable to access care and experiencing long wait times and delays to receive timely treatment.
From a fiscal perspective, maintaining access to student financial assistance and loan forgiveness for chiropractors is a low-cost policy choice that helps prevent higher downstream spending on emergency care, disability supports and long-term income replacement.
In rural and remote communities, chiropractors are often the only accessible providers for pain and mobility care. When student debt makes it financially impossible to practise in these regions, care is delayed or disappears altogether. Pain worsens. Disability increases. People leave the workforce. In many cases, medications such as opioids become the default, not by choice but by lack of access to hands-on, non-pharmacological care.
Student loan forgiveness and continued access to the Canada student financial assistance program can be the difference for a chiropractor between staying in a community and never coming back at all. Also, for patients, it can be the difference between independence and disability.
This is not about supporting one profession. It is about supporting patients. It is about ensuring that Canadians, no matter where they live, can access timely, non-invasive care that keeps them mobile, working and connected to their communities.
The Canadian Chiropractic Association is asking for a practical and targeted solution. Ensure that chiropractic students retain access to federal student financial assistance and that graduates are eligible for student loan forgiveness when they practise in Canada, regardless of where they are trained, provided that their education is, of course, accredited. This is a workforce issue; it is an access issue, and it is, above all, a patient issue.
Thank you for your time. I welcome your questions.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Bobby Morrissey
Thank you, Dr. Azat.
We'll now move to Mr. Stephenson for five minutes or less.
Dana Stephenson Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder, Riipen Networks Inc.
Good morning, Mr. Chair and members of the committee.
Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you today about work-integrated learning and the role it must play in building a stronger, more productive Canada.
My name is Dana Stephenson. I'm the CEO and co-founder of Riipen, a Canadian-founded future of work platform transforming how learners and employers connect to build the skills that drive productivity and growth.
Since 2017, Riipen has delivered more than 300,000 work-integrated learning experiences in partnership with over 50,000 employers. Of those, 85% are small, medium and micro-sized businesses. They collaborate on real projects that close skills gaps and improve employment outcomes.
I want to begin by thanking the Government of Canada for its investment in budget 2025 to advance work-integrated learning for the student work placement program and the innovative work-integrated learning initiative that we are involved in with BioTalent. This investment signals a clear commitment to connecting learning with work, strengthening Canada's talent pipeline and supporting the small and medium-sized businesses that power our economy.
Canada faces a generational productivity challenge. The Prime Minister's mandate letter is clear. Our long-standing weak productivity is straining government finances, constraining economic growth and threatening the sustainability of the investments required to drive innovation and long-term prosperity. At the same time, rapid advances in artificial intelligence and major infrastructure investments create an opportunity for millions of Canadians to access new and rewarding careers, provided they can develop relevant skills quickly.
Work-integrated learning provides that bridge. When delivered at scale with low friction, it addresses both productivity and talent pipeline challenges.
Through the federal innovative work-integrated learning initiative, Riipen launched our flagship program, Level Up, in 2021 to connect post-secondary learners with small, medium and micro-sized enterprises across Canada. Level Up replaced a complex wage subsidy system with a streamlined digital model that automates contracts, payments and compliance, reducing administrative burden and red tape and improving cost efficiency.
The result is a program that delivers work-integrated learning experiences for less than $2,000 all in, roughly one-quarter of the cost of traditional programs. This demonstrates that public investment can focus on outcomes while catalyzing private participation.
To date, since 2021, through Level Up, Riipen has delivered over 37,000 ongoing paid student experiences across Canada and leveraged significant coinvestment. Of participating learners, 66% self-identify as members of under-represented groups, and 84% of participating SMEs report productivity and efficiency gains. Of a representative sample of learners, 76% receive a job offer right after the experience.
Building on this foundation, Riipen launched FuturePath in 2025. This is an employer coinvestment model in which businesses fund half of the students' stipends. This approach has already generated substantial private sector investment and demonstrates a fiscally responsible pathway in which government costs decrease as employer participation grows.
Continued multi-year federal investment will allow Canada to scale proven models that deliver measurable outcomes, attract additional coinvestment and strengthen Canada's position in the future of work, but there is an opportunity to go further. Canada needs a nationwide, web-based talent network that connects learners and employers in real time, aligning training and labour market demand and expanding access to meaningful work-integrated learning opportunities across regions and sectors to all deserving students.
Mr. Chair, the mandate letter calls for focus, determination and results. The student work placement program and the innovative work-integrated learning initiative, alongside Level Up and FuturePath, demonstrate what is possible when work-integrated learning is designed for scale, efficiency and outcomes. With continued federal leadership, Canada can strengthen productivity, support SMEs and ensure that learners and workers across the country can fully participate in the future of work.
Thank you. I welcome the committee's questions.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Bobby Morrissey
Thank you, Mr. Stephenson.
We'll begin the first round of questioning of six minutes with Ms. Goodridge.
Conservative
Laila Goodridge Conservative Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, AB
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I want to thank the witnesses for being here today. It's lovely to see all of you.
I think I'm going to start with you, Dr. Azad. I actually was very fortunate when I first started in the political space. I actually worked for Dr. Colin Carrie, who was a chiropractor.
Conservative
Laila Goodridge Conservative Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, AB
I got to learn some of the unique challenges in that space.
I remember calling him when I was pregnant, because I was getting a lot of pain. I said, “I don't want to take drugs, so what are the options?” He recommended that I look into Webster technique and find someone that specialized in the Webster method for chiropractic, and it made all the difference. It went from my having a hard time sitting for long periods of time to being able to complete my normal space with no pain and just one or two appointments per week. I think that just goes to show that there are things that can be done, and it's effectively just simple types of stretching.
This is an important piece. How many graduates do the two Canadian institutions put out every year?
Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Chiropractic Association
Thank you. I'm so glad that you got benefit from the care.
CMCC has approximately 200 students in each class, so 200 graduate. UQTR has between 40 and 50.
Conservative
Laila Goodridge Conservative Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, AB
Okay. We're not talking about tons.
How many are retiring every year?
Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Chiropractic Association
That's a great question.
I just looked at my membership metrics report, and we are seeing higher rates of chiropractors retiring compared to how many are coming in.
Conservative
Laila Goodridge Conservative Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, AB
You're saying that we're having more people retiring and fewer people training in Canada to replace the ones that we currently have.
Are there disparities in accessing chiropractic services right now?
Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Chiropractic Association
Yes, there are. We're actually looking into this and looking at where the majority of our chiropractors are located. We're working with Ontario Tech University to try to map this out.
We see decreased numbers of chiropractors in rural and remote communities, and sometimes those are the communities that require the most care. We see a higher incidence of musculoskeletal conditions in those communities, especially in indigenous communities.
Conservative
Laila Goodridge Conservative Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, AB
I appreciate that.
The change in the BIA is extremely troubling.
May I ask how many of your friends studied abroad because they couldn't get into a Canadian institution?