Mr. Speaker, I rise today to encourage members of the House to play a major role in the reform of Canada's social security system.
The speech from the throne set out the government's ambitious two-year schedule to complete the modernization of our national social security system and to make it more responsive to the economic and social realities of the 1990s and beyond.
Our system was first put in place decades ago. It has served us well but times have changed. Canadians will not accept and we must not accept double digit levels of unemployment, signs of a lost generation of youth and rising levels of child poverty. Canadians realize that reforms are necessary. They also want hope for a better future for themselves and their children.
I have already heard many excellent ideas from my constituents and I hope others will come forward. I know the minister has been consulting widely with provincial representatives, social policy organizations, business and labour representatives, academics and Canadians from all walks of life.