Madam Speaker, the government recognizes the importance of human resources development services to rural communities across Canada.
As announced in the budget, HRDC is carrying out a thorough review and reorganization of programs and services to reduce overhead costs and find new ways of delivering services more efficiently and effectively. Every effort is being made so that services are accessible relevant to local needs and service oriented.
As the minister of HRD has previously stated, there will be more points of service in rural communities after reorganization than there currently are. Priority will be on ensuring that all clients including those in smaller communities will not have to travel for more than one-half hour to have access to basic services. The addition of 300 to 400 electronic kiosks means that HRDC will have the potential to reach 97 per cent of the working age population in all areas, including those in smaller communities.
In the context of that reform the minister is looking at developing new partnerships with the private sector, the unions and local stakeholders in the delivery of our services.
One specific area in which this approach is being pursued is the area of agricultural employment services. The minister has already announced that his department will continue to provide these services for the next year. At the same time, he has announced that AES and CECs will be involved in the development of transition plans at the local level to involve more players in the delivery of agricultural services.
Regions will work with industry partners to recommend co-operative agreements that will continue to serve employers in the agricultural industry. CEC is exploring options to handle the labour exchange function currently provided by AES. HRDC remains committed to the agricultural community and will continue to provide the best services possible.