Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to have this opportunity to address the hon. member's motion today. This past week the Minister of Finance made it abundantly clear this government is fully committed to reducing the debt and controlling expenditures.
I can assure the hon. member that reducing spending is not the only action this government is taking to strengthen our growing economy. We are working in partnership with other levels of government and the private sector to build strong, vibrant economies that will keep our standard of living among the top 10 nations of the world.
I know hon. members will agree that our young people are the future leaders and builders of this great nation. This government is fully aware of the importance of ensuring that Canadian youth are given every opportunity to excel. That is what the youth employment and learning strategy is all about.
The hon. member asked about the government's vision. Let me tell the hon. member for St. Albert that our vision for young Canadians is to do everything possible to ensure they fulfil their educational potential, get a rewarding job and contribute to the social and economic health of Canada.
One way the government is doing that is through youth service Canada. We already have more than 1,000 Canadian young women and men participating in youth service projects. In the coming months we will involve an additional 1,400 participants. That is not the only investment we are making in the future of Canada. Through our youth internship program young Canadians are being given the opportunity to experience training in new and emerging sectors.
I assure the hon. member this is not a haphazard approach of smoke and mirrors. Far from it. Youth internship projects will train young people in skills that will lead to long term, highly skilled jobs. For example, we recently announced a demonstration project to help those interested to gain the skills necessary to pursue careers in the electric and electronic industries. Each project will involve 20 students in five provinces, with the benefits going to students all across the country.
I imagine my hon. colleagues will agree there is no better teacher than experience and experience is what the participants in the government's youth employment and learning strategy are receiving. We have said before, and perhaps the hon. member should hear it again, partnership is the key to making these programs effective. With the demonstration projects under youth service Canada and youth internship, the government is working hand in hand with a variety of partners, including sector councils, that are taking the lead in these endeavours.
One of the major aspects in economic renewal is that sectors share responsibility in determining and addressing their human resource needs. We are working closely with sector councils that represent their respective industries. I will say a little more on that in a minute.
Regarding vision, this government has enough vision to realize that we have to make adjustments where needed. That is what we are doing with the Atlantic groundfish strategy. The main objective of TAGS is to reconstruct the fishery in Atlantic Canada to make this traditional industry economically viable and environmentally sustainable.
We are working closely with fishermen's associations and the provinces to make necessary adjustments to the labour force, realistic adjustments that must be made. Since TAGS was announced in April, we are serving the needs of men and women in the fishery through the difficult transitional time.
So far close to 41,000 fishermen and women and fish plant workers are receiving support through TAGS. For the majority that support will continue to 1995. Financial assistance is not the only thing the government is doing for women and men whose lives have been devastated by the reduction in the fishery. We are also providing counselling to about 15,000 individuals thus far, and about 3,000 of these men and women are participat-
ing in other aspects of the TAGS program on their way to becoming self-reliant and able to once again contribute to the Canadian economy.
When the hon. member for St. Albert talks about vision I am wondering if he is aware of the resourceful measures this government has taken through its strategic initiatives program. We have set aside $800 million in the February budget to come up with creative ways to address employment problems associated with structural changes in the economy.
I am pleased to tell the House that the strategic initiatives program has been a marked success. Let me cite a few examples. In New Brunswick we are supporting NB jobs corps with a $40 million investment to help older employed workers. This project is very successful. At this time most of the 1,000 participants are working in nine provincial localities.
In Newfoundland a strategic initiatives project is investing $10 million to help students and the unemployed continue their education using tuition credits and wage subsidies.
In Prince Edward Island we are investing $1.4 million to tutor unemployment insurance claimants and welfare recipients to gain literacy and life skills.
In Nova Scotia the strategic initiatives program has invested $7.5 million for training and employment opportunities for adults at risk of going on welfare.
We also have strategic initiative projects in Ontario, the Northwest Territories and Manitoba. I am pleased to tell the hon. member that the provinces and the territories have shown enthusiasm for strategic initiatives from the very beginning.
Women comprise about 40 per cent of our labour force but they are still in many low paying occupations. The government is helping women realize their potential through projects such as the one the Minister of Human Resources Development recently announced in Rimouski, Quebec. In this case women who have no income are being trained to enable them to create their own businesses. These entrepreneurial women have a business plan but they need support to get it off the ground. This is another project that is providing an excellent example of what we can accomplish through co-operative partnerships.
I am delighted to report also the case for sectoral partnerships. This too is part of our vision. Sector councils are comprised of leaders in industry, labour, education and all levels of government. They work together to build a common vision of their human resource needs and to establish comprehensive and practical training programs to meet those needs.
We currently have some 18 sector councils breaking new ground in labour-management relations and we are working to establish more sector councils. This partnership includes education and training in the community so the school curriculum will help students develop the up to date skills necessary to work in today's economy.
Sectoral initiatives are involving the private sector in decision making in a way that government has not done before. Business and industry are investing dollars, time and expertise.
In closing, I suggest that the hon. member not be so pessimistic in his outlook. Just last week the International Monetary Fund reported that Canada's industrial production has surpassed the pre-recession peak of 1989-90. Of course there is still much to be done, but through programs such as the one I have outlined, investment in people, and through a revitalized social security system we will help Canadians to improve their standard of living and ensure a strong economy for decades to come.