Mr. Speaker, when the member talks about what Canadians want and what the Conservatives have not delivered, I would like to tell him what Canadians saw in a government that was different for over 13 years. It was different from their values and different from themselves. For 13 years they saw Liberals growing increasingly old, tired and corrupt.
Canadians had enough. They were sickened when watching the news each night to learn how Liberals illicitly passed brown envelopes stuffed with money to their friends and Liberal insiders. They certainly were not about to go along with a Liberal scheme to institutionalize their culture of entitlement to form a summer jobs program.
Canadians looked for someone who would stand up to the Liberals. They wanted a government that would stand up for them. They wanted a government that reflected their concerns and values, so they chose the Conservatives to form their new government.
One of our first priorities was restoring public confidence in the government. This was done by passing anti-corruption legislation in the form of the Federal Accountability Act, although Canadians would be disappointed with any government that thinks the work of cleaning up after the Liberals ends there.
Canadians wanted the government to clean up the things they knew were wrong with the summer career placement program. Canada Summer Jobs does just that.
Canada Summer Jobs is a new initiative that Canadians are finding better reflects who they are and what they want to see in the student job program. It preserves 100% of the funding, $77.3 million, that went to the non-profit sector under the previous program. It puts an end to subsidies for big businesses that would be creating those positions anyway. Most importantly, it gets rid of the Liberal culture of entitlement by making decisions more transparent and more accountable.
Canadians want their government to support not for profit organizations that deliver community swim programs, summer camps and services at local galleries and museums. We understand that and we listened. That is why we preserved 100% funding for not for profit organizations.
Canadians appreciate that the Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance have created a strong economy, with 30 year lows in unemployment, but they also understand that some regions are still struggling and some Canadians face barriers to accessing jobs.
So does their government. We have listened to Canadians, which is why we put resources where they are most needed. We are focusing resources on students who live in areas of higher unemployment and small urban centres with areas of high crime and on young people with disabilities, members of visible minorities and aboriginal students.
Canada Summer Jobs bases decisions on objective criteria: jobs that could not otherwise be created; students who would not otherwise find work as a result of where they live or the barriers they face; and high quality, career related job experiences.
Under the Liberals, over a quarter of a million dollars went to Safeway. More than that still went to Wal-Mart. Canadians do not believe these multinational companies needed a wage subsidy. These companies, along with several others, volunteered in a departmental survey that they would be hiring students in any event.
Taking a look at the criteria that are considered, it is worth noting what is not considered. No longer is the process dominated by the input of MPs. Canadians are tired of pork-barrel politics and they are tired of hearing things like how the colleague of the member for Davenport, the member for Brampton—Springdale, secured almost $25,000 for the Ford plant in her riding. They are tired of being asked to pretend that the over $20,000 she approved for Bacardi produced a meaningful work experience.
Canadians want value for their money and they want valuable experience for students. Their new government is investing almost $86 million in Canada Summer Jobs.
Transparency and accountability are key to Canada summer jobs. I know this will seem foreign to the member, but employers will be assessed--