Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to participate in today's debate. Specifically, I would like to dedicate my allotted time to explaining in more detail exactly how Canadians and their families can benefit from Canada's economic action plan.
The opportunities presented by economic action plan 2013 are substantive and far-reaching, which is why I am proud to stand today to highlight how our government is continuously helping with something that is on the minds of most Canadians: jobs. Since the recession in 2009, Canada has created over one million net new jobs, nearly 90% of which are full-time and over 85% of which come from the private sector. Indeed, our unemployment rate is at its lowest level since December 2008.
However, the support to Canadians does not stop there, and these measures are designed to meet some of the real challenges facing us because of demographic change and an increasingly competitive world.
Canadian workers, for example, are among the highest educated and best trained in the world. However, Canada is facing a skilled labour shortage in key sectors of the economy. In particular, persistent pockets of unfilled positions exist for skilled tradespeople and professionals, such as electricians, carpenters, machinists, heavy equipment operators, engineers, and architects, among others.
The president of the Canadian Construction Association put the situation into perspective when he said:
Many construction firms are experiencing shortages of skilled workers today because past government efforts to align training with job market opportunities failed [....] Getting skills development right will be critical for the construction sector moving forward. With construction demand and industry retirements expected to rise throughout the decade, there is no time to waste.
Clearly, with thousands of jobs available across Canada that are going unfilled, Canada's growth prospects are being restricted. In fact, CIBC World Markets stated in a report in December 2012 that 30% of businesses in Canada—