Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise to participate in this debate concentrating on one of the most important aspects of Canadian society. The government has recognized that small business is our future.
Small business creates many of our new jobs, stimulates our economy and provides employment for millions of Canadians. In Guelph-Wellington and elsewhere when small business succeeds, Canada succeeds.
I was a small business owner. I am excited about what the government is doing to assist small and medium sized business in my riding of Guelph-Wellington and across Canada. I can tell you, Mr. Speaker, that many of my constituents are excited about it too.
I would like to spend some time concentrating on labour skills and the importance of further enhancing the competitiveness and growth of our small and medium sized businesses. I have had the opportunity to meet with many small business owners and managers throughout Guelph-Wellington. They are excited about their future. They believe they have one. They weathered the recession and they weathered the GST. They want government help in order to succeed. They need government, though, to get out of the way where it creates unnecessary bureaucracy and red tape.
I have been told over and over again: "Please, get this red tape away from us". Single shop people cannot handle it and the government is going to address some of those needs.
They want government to initiate incentives which will encourage their success. They count on us to do that. We can assist the small and medium sized business owner who wants to expand through providing Canadian workers with the skills to compete in this highly competitive and rapidly changing environment.
Guelph-Wellington has one of the finest skilled worker forces in Canada with one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country. However there are still some who are unemployed. They want to work. There are still some in Guelph-Wellington receiving social assistance. They also want to work. There are also thousands of unskilled or underskilled workers who can contribute if given the skills. They have to have those skills.
Business leaders in Guelph-Wellington know what they need to succeed. Our economy depends on small business; 69.7 per cent of businesses in Ontario have less than five employees. The needs of each one of those businesses are unique but government can help.
In the past we have spent too much time training people for skills that are not required. What is required now is flexible training programs that provide on the job training, training for which the employer provides time off or tuition assistance, or classroom training at educational institutions. Business people in my community will help to train workers because they want to ensure that our community and, more important, all of Canada have the best skilled labour force so that we can compete in this world.
We must train people for jobs that do exist or will exist and business must play a role in both identifying these positions as well as helping in the training process. This is a win-win situation.
Guelph-Wellington business people want better information. They want to share that information with other business leaders across Canada. Our knowledge based economy means that we must work together to make it work. Eighty-five per cent of new employment is being created today in small and medium sized businesses.
Our businesses will need child care workers, veterinarians, dental hygienists and psychotherapists in the near future. If we are going to prepare for the future we must invest in people today.
The social security review process will assist us in identifying priorities and overcome the obstacles to successful skills development in Canada. We must decide how basic skills training can best be improved and what priority this training should receive.
Employers in my riding want to be given a better role in training. They want to be consulted and informed and they want to participate in all facets of skills training. Already employers and employees are working together to shape this kind of training. The reason for quality skills training is obvious: Well-trained workers are more employable and can adapt more easily if they must change jobs.
The enthusiasm is there. Guelph-Wellington workers want the skills necessary to compete. They want to be able to adjust to marketplace changes and they do want to work. The employers in my riding are asking for new and innovative ways to provide training. They want tax credits, direct government assistance, educational leave and work sharing agreements. Like their workers, they are not looking for handouts. They want the tools which will enable them to invest in developing employee skills. Investing in the workforce of Guelph-Wellington means investing in our future.
The workplace is changing. Canada is looking to expand into an ever competitive global market. As the Prime Minister and Team Canada have shown us over the past few days, we are not afraid of competing with the world's best. We are the world's best. Business people in Guelph-Wellington and elsewhere in Canada know they can do business anywhere in the world. They need workers who are adaptable, flexible and willing to learn new job skills.
We are talking about investment. Business leaders know that smart investment leads to success. We must invest in our people in order to compete, to expand, to grow, to be healthy. We must encourage lifelong learning. Gone are the days where a worker can be trained for a position of 30 or 40 years. We must build on providing literacy training, encourage our young people to stay in school and to prepare for the jobs that are available and provide incentives for individuals and employers to invest in continuous skills upgrading. Learning is a lifelong adventure.
Responding to the demands of the global marketplace means keeping pace with changes in today's workplace. The progressive business person in Guelph-Wellington knows that for every dollar spent on training by Canadian businesses American businesses spend twice as much. Japanese business spends five times that and German business spends eight times that. Without ongoing skills training we cannot survive.
This government is forging partnerships. Team Canada has shown what working together can do for Canada. Guelph-Wellington business people want to be partners with their employees. Workers want their employers to be successful. All want government to work. We know that investing in people will result in a highly skilled and competitive workforce in Canada. I am proud of the optimism of businesses in Guelph-Wellington. They are looking ahead. They have weathered a terrible storm.
Our workers do not want unemployment insurance or social welfare. They want to work. They want to contribute in a successful and expanding society. They want to give their children and they want for themselves the skills necessary to ensure economic prosperity. They are tired of facing layoffs and work slowdowns. They want sustainable employment. They want to be the best that they can be.
The United Nations has stated that Canada is the best place in the world in which to live. Through continued partnerships while fostering training, Canada will continue to be the best place in the world to live.