Mr. Speaker, Canadians will not be left behind. There is no question the world around is changing. Fifty years ago fax machines, cellular phones, the Canada space arm and fibre optic surgery were only seen in science fiction movies. Today they are part of our everyday life.
Fact: the world is changing. Fact: our lives are changing. Fact: some countries will be left behind. Fact: Canada will not be one of them.
Certainly our labour market is changing. Machines are doing some of the jobs people used to do. However, people are doing some jobs we never thought would be possible. We are building the robots that now do the heavy lifting and exploration of mines. We are designing the fibre optic cables that allow people on different continents to conduct meetings and exchange ideas. We are developing the vaccines to combat disease that had previously wiped out entire populations. Certainly, the world is changing but we are leading the revolution.
The 1996 budget tabled yesterday by the Minister of Finance will allow us to continue to set the pace for other countries to follow. This Liberal government recognizes that Canada is a rich country, a country rich in resources: natural resources, its people, its youth. We also recognize it is our responsibility to create opportunities for present and future generations of Canadians, and that is what we have done.
The challenges that face our youth are clear. The youth unemployment rate is roughly double the national average. Roughly 45 per cent of new jobs created between the year 1990 and the year 2000 will require more than 16 years of training and education.
What is the federal government doing to offer young Canadians a brighter future? More than any other government in Canadian history, we have been devoted to achieving positive change in the lives of young people. To quote the Minister of Finance: "The economy of the future will belong to our young people. The success of our economy will depend on them, just as their success will depend on their ability to fully participate in all that the economy has to offer".
Post-secondary education is an important step toward achieving meaningful full time employment. Our government recognizes that. That is why the 1996 budget announced measures to increase Canada's investment in our youth. After all, if our future is to be brighter, we must invest in it. To that end we have introduced a learning package. These measures will provide an additional $165 million in tax assistance to students and their families. However, getting the tax system to work in favour of education is just the beginning.
In addition to these measures we have further improved access to post-secondary education by providing more flexible repayment terms for Canada student loans. That, plus our previous $2.5 billion increase in the amount of federal assistance available through our Canada student loans program clearly demonstrates our government's commitment to providing Canadians with the opportunity to pursue lifelong learning.
As chair of the Liberal Party's task force on youth, as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Human Resources Development, as a member of the human resources committee and as the member of Parliament for the riding of York North I have spoken to tens of thousands of young people across the country.
I spoke with high school dropouts who still have dreams to one day have good paying jobs. I spoke with a 19-year old single mother who wants to be an accountant. I spoke with a young man from Newfoundland who wants a job he can go to year round. The desire to work, to grow and to succeed is there. It just needs some help to flourish.
How many times have we heard a young person say that he or she cannot find a job because he or she does not have experience: "How can I gain that experience if I do not have a job?" That is the paradox in the lives of so many young people in our country. These are indeed tough questions. Our government has attempted to find some answers.
In April 1994 our government announced the youth employment and learning strategy involving, among other initiatives, the youth internship program and Youth Service Canada. Our government is maintaining its $700 million in funding over the next three years for these programs. While past governments have run make work projects for young people, Youth Service Canada and the youth internship program focus on providing participants with tangible, hands on experience.
Youth Service Canada provides employment skills built on community needs. Students gain valuable work experience that will help them make that very important transition from school to work. The community gains the energy and enthusiasm which only the young can bring to their work. The youth internship program works because it builds partnerships between employers and educators, teaching hands on skills to young people. The focus is on jobs and careers with a future. The theme is innovation.
For example, last year I announced a special program for the automotive industry. When we look under the hood of a new car we see how technology has changed the industry. I read recently that the computers in new cars are worth more than the steel. This requires people with up to date skills. It requires a new generation of highly skilled workers. In turn, that requires a new partnership with the private sector.
The youth internship program is an excellent example of partnership and co-operation. Chrysler Canada and other major car manufacturers donated engines and guaranteed on the job training spots to participants. We brought on board a major corporation to do its share to help tomorrow's workers.
In addition to maintaining funding for Youth Service Canada and the youth internship program, this year's budget announced the government's plans to reallocate $315 million in budget savings for additional on the job training which includes doubling the funding for student summer employment placements. It is a wise investment. In 1995 alone more than 52,000 jobs were created thanks to the student summer job action. Our Canada employment centres for students placed over 175,000 students in jobs during that summer.
How does this Team Canada approach apply locally in my riding? I will tell the House about another effective partnership between government and the private sector which I announced last week.
The government teamed up with Tetra Pac Inc., a forward thinking company in my riding. We each contributed $100,000 to an initiative called "Completing the Circle". The Career Foundation, an active training establishment in York North, is using these funds to match unemployed residents with available jobs in the riding. One hundred participants will receive pre-employment and on the job training, followed by a placement in a job with a future. This, my friends, is co-operation. This is team work, this is Team Canada in action.
Speaking of jobs with a future, there is no greater growth area than high tech. Look in the career section of any paper. Where are the jobs? Computers. Look at page 76 of the budget plan and what do you see? Computers.
The 1996 budget outlines a plan to enlist the help of 2,000 students to help connect 50,000 small businesses to the Internet. What a great idea, students and small business owners helping one another.
Another successful program I helped develop in my riding, one that I am extremely proud of, is VaughanTec. It is truly an employment strategy with a future. VaughanTec recruits young entrepreneurial residents of York North with an interest in technology and provides them with the skills and knowledge required to become successful high tech entrepreneurs.
Through classroom training, skills development and concrete work experience, these young entrepreneurs develop the tools they will need to seek employment or create new businesses in this rapidly developing sector.
As these local examples demonstrate, the private sector is our greatest and most appropriate medium for innovation. Canada's youth are our strongest foundation for our future. The framework is in place. The economic environment is improving. The partnerships are proving successful. We are following through with our commitment to providing opportunities. Canada will not be left behind.