Mr. Speaker, hon. members opposite often suggest that the views of Canadians are not taken seriously by the government. I want to tell my hon. friends that they are wrong.
Some of the suggestions made last April by my constituents appear in the discussion paper the Minister of Human Resources Development tabled in the House on October 5.
Oxford recommendations in this paper include: first, programs should be result oriented, with the emphasis on ending dependency.
Second, while everyone should pay into unemployment insurance, it should be structured more like private insurance so that those in higher risk areas of employment pay higher premiums. Third, to help those on welfare become independent the govern-
ment should subsidize those who choose to take low paying positions rather than remain at home.
I am happy to see that these recommendations were taken seriously by the minister and that they are now being discussed across Canada.