Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to speak on Bill C-36, the budget implementation bill. I would like to deal with a number of issues. My colleagues have spoken quite eloquently on the faults of Bill C-36. I am going to deal with a few other issues and how we can revamp and rejuvenate our economy so that we can provide for a better future for all Canadians.
Bill C-36 is a microcosm of what this House does repeatedly. It nibbles around the edges of an issue rather than taking the bull by the horns and addressing the issue. Rather than dealing with the larger issues of debt reduction, poverty within our country, educational problems, problems of tax relief, egregious rules and regulations that choke off our private sector, the government has chosen to nibble around the edges and not really deal with the meat of the matter.
On the education issue, the millennium fund in principle is good. We have to provide moneys so our students can have the funds to be educated in post-secondary institutions. However, there are some significant failures within our education system which the government has an opportunity to deal with.
For example, a chasm exists between the needs of the private sector and the ability of our education system to fill those needs. Large numbers of jobs within our country go unfilled, primarily because there are no students to fill them. The government should work with the private sector and the educational institutions so that the students in the institutions today understand what are the future needs of the economy.
I was down in the United States recently. They have done some innovative work in that area. It is for that and other reasons many Canadians go south of the border to find employment. In many cases they find a more lucrative and challenging environment in which to work. That is a shame, because those students could stay within our country.
Look at the example of the United Kingdom. They have built some innovative links between industry and the private sector, the private sector, education and government.
For example, students should be provided with apprenticeship possibilities. Provide them with apprenticeships in professions that are going to be needed in the future. There are many needs the economy of the 21st century will require filled. We as a country have to look at the future, anticipate those needs and be aggressive enough to provide that information to our students. It is our role to provide those opportunities to the youth of today.
I compliment the government on its RESP and child tax benefit plans. These are things we have said are good. They will enable people within the private sector to have more moneys so as to provide for their needs and give them the ability to be functional members of our society.
With respect to our economy, the government could have addressed the issue of tax relief. Even in my province of British Columbia, if you can believe it, the NDP has actually taken the step to look at the successes of Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario and has adopted a tax reduction strategy, albeit a timid one.
Why did the government not do that in any meaningful way? It has proven to work in country after country after country. High taxes kill jobs. Lower taxes will enable the private sector to be more aggressive and create jobs.
When we go into our communities and talk to the private sector, it tells us that the tax structure we have today is far too complicated and onerous and prevents it from hiring people.