Mr. Speaker, to go back to what I was saying, the government says that there is a policy for the manufacturing sector. That policy is based in part on the report of the Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology. However, another important part of the report has not been put forward. It was recommended that tax credits be provided for workforce training so that workers can be ready for change in the company instead of having to take training when they lose their jobs. This is a proactive measure that would help us keep people employed.
The government could also make investment tax credits for research and development refundable. At present, especially in forestry and harder hit sectors, many companies are not earning huge profits but have managed to stand up to competition from emerging countries without too much government assistance. They have done so by eating into their profits, leaving themselves no flexibility for investment. If the government had accepted the recommendation to make investment tax credits refundable, these companies could position themselves in such a way that they could compete much better.
What can I say about the government's hesitation concerning older workers? Globalization can be good in some ways. It keeps the economy running. However, we have to accept that there will be losers, who are often older workers who cannot find new jobs. The evidence is irrefutable: every time a business closes, 20% of the employees cannot find other jobs.
The government has been going from committee to committee for a year and a half. The latest committee it set up was the Expert Panel on Older Workers. Apparently, they are waiting for opinions from various people. The panel has been asked to observe the situation on the ground, but it has refused to do so. I think that there is very little understanding of the reality on the ground for these sectors in terms of the manufacturing workforce. People think that Canada's overall economy is doing well, so they do not understand how some sectors can be experiencing difficulty.
The parliamentary secretary knows this. He participated in the debates with us. When will the government move forward with real action for the manufacturing sector in addition to the partial measures it picked from the report? I know and they know that these measures will not address the crisis, because there really is a crisis, which the ministers refused to recognize when they met with the president of the CLC.