Mr. Speaker, Imperial Tobacco recently announced the closure of its Guelph plant, eliminating over 500 jobs. These jobs support hundreds of area Guelph families. The government should be doing all it can to cushion the blow. We have proposed a $1,000 grant for apprentices, an employer tax credit for their salaries, and a $500 deduction for their tools. Our proposals will help these workers retrain for the tens of thousands of skilled trades jobs that go unfilled in this country.
When will the government follow through on a recommendation and help these workers and the 100,000 other workers who have lost jobs in manufacturing?