Evidence of meeting #30 for Industry, Science and Technology in the 43rd Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was universities.
A video is available from Parliament.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Sherry Romanado
We have a motion on the floor. I will now open the floor to debate.
I see MP Erskine-Smith has his hand up.
Liberal
Nathaniel Erskine-Smith Liberal Beaches—East York, ON
Yes, if this works.... My connection might cut out.
The one amendment I would like to see is to replace the language of “contact tracing” with “exposure notification”, because it isn't in fact a contact-tracing app; it's an exposure notification app. So, I would move that we replace the words “contact tracing” with “exposure notification”, just to be clear and precise.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Sherry Romanado
We have an amendment on the floor, so I open up debate to the amendment.
Mr. Patzer.
Conservative
Jeremy Patzer Conservative Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK
I'll just say quickly that I'm fine with that. I think that's good.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Sherry Romanado
Is there any further debate on the amendment?
We will call a recorded division for the amendment on the motion, and I will turn it over to the clerk.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Sherry Romanado
Certainly. In English, it says:
That, as part of its study on the Canadian Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology invite Daniel Therrien, Privacy Commissioner of Canada, to testify regarding the development and ongoing operation of the recently released....
I'm going to check with Mr. Erskine-Smith. I don't have the correct wording. It was not “contact tracing”, but it was—
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Sherry Romanado
Thank you. It's “exposure notification application”.
I will now turn it over to the clerk for the recorded division.
(Amendment agreed to: yeas 11; nays 0 [See Minutes of Proceedings])
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Sherry Romanado
I believe we have to dispose of the original motion, so I'm going to turn to the clerk to call the recorded division on the original motion as amended.
(Motion as amended agreed to: yeas 11; nays 0 [See Minutes of Proceedings])
With that, Mr. Patzer, I will turn the floor back over to you for your questions.
Conservative
Jeremy Patzer Conservative Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK
Thank you very much, Madam Chair.
Thank you, everybody, for your patience while we dealt with that quickly.
I will begin with Mr. Landon. We don't have any representatives for students here today, but I still want to ask about the government's support for Canadian students. The Canadian Federation of Students has launched a petition stating that the $912-million Canada student service grant was flawed from the start. They strongly criticize its practicality and usefulness for students.
My first question would be whether the federal government consulted with any universities about the value of this program.
Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer, Universities Canada
I'm not aware of any consultation.
Conservative
Jeremy Patzer Conservative Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK
Okay. Was this an idea that you think the universities or students would have considered or proposed on their own?
Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer, Universities Canada
Quite possibly, yes. I think the idea of having students be recognized for the work they're doing in volunteering would be something that students might have put forward, yes.
Conservative
Jeremy Patzer Conservative Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK
Okay. One reason I'm asking this is that we already have a program called the Canada summer jobs program. In my riding specifically, there were more businesses and groups that did not receive funding for it than did, which means there were more students who were not hired than who were hired to work jobs for these various businesses here.
Again, I'm just wondering whether pre-existing programs such as Canada summer jobs or some other arrangement would work better to help students impacted by COVID to continue their studies.
Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer, Universities Canada
I believe what the government was looking at was a variety of measures to try to address the challenges for students across the board. I think a number of them were added to. The CESB was very helpful for students. It's hard for me to comment on the appropriateness of one over the other.
Conservative
Jeremy Patzer Conservative Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK
Okay.
A big concern for a lot of students is getting a job after they graduate. How much has COVID limited the job market for potential university graduates?
Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer, Universities Canada
That is a really live question. I think you have to look at the macroeconomic figures for the entire economy. I think that job challenges are going to be the same for students, for new graduates, and perhaps more so across the economy.
That's why we're very keen on upskilling and re-skilling for students and graduates, and, in the long term, for Canadians who are looking to pivot their education to the new economy as time goes on. We think there are a number of measures that could help towards that.
Conservative
Jeremy Patzer Conservative Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK
Do you want to elaborate on any of those measures specifically?
Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer, Universities Canada
Sure. One thing we're looking for is to be able to provide funding for universities as they adapt their programming to new needs. We're seeing that there are real areas of opportunity in cybersecurity, in communications and in health care. We want to make sure that our universities are prepared and equipped to offer those quickly to students and graduates as they become available.
Conservative
Jeremy Patzer Conservative Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK
Do you find that the broadband available to our universities is sufficient to move to more e-learning, more online learning, or even just the on-campus experience as we move to a more enhanced digital experience?
Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer, Universities Canada
You mean the literal broadband, not a figurative broadband.
Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer, Universities Canada
Absolutely, we all need more broadband, and we need more broadband in our rural communities as well. I think that's absolutely essential for the country.
Conservative
Jeremy Patzer Conservative Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK
You're absolutely right.
Are you or your members planning for how the economy is likely to shift during and after COVID? How does it look for lines of work that require post-secondary education?
