Debates of May 21st, 2013

Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities

[Chris Charlton, NDP, Hamilton Mountain, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague not only for the question but for her incredible advocacy with respect to the employment insurance file. I do not think there is a more eloquent spokesperson in this country for the need to not only protect the existing EI system but to actually expand it so that those people who have paid into EI all of their working lives can access the benefits when they need them most.

As members know, EI is supposed to be a rainy day fund. People are paying into it as an insurance system, and on the day they lose their jobs, they are supposed to have access to those benefits to tide them over and give them the ability to look for their next job. This member, more than anybody else in this House, has fought on behalf of seasonal workers, particularly in Quebec and in the eastern parts of Canada, and on behalf of all working Canadians who need the EI system to be there for them when they need it most.

The member is absolutely right that we need to do much more to support Canadians to access work. We have a youth unemployment rate at twice the national average. Today's young Canadians belong to one of the most educated generations we have ever had in this country, yet they graduate and are unable to find employment. Why is that? It is because we are not providing them with the opportunities they need to access skills training and access the jobs that are available right across Canada. They need our support. We are able to fill labour shortages without resorting to the temporary foreign worker program.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I want to provide a brief comment about the temporary foreign worker program, which for the most part is an excellent program. However, because of the way the government has allowed that program to explode, at a great cost to many residents of Canada, it is generally felt that the government has gone overboard. We are not allowing residents of Canada to fill those job vacancies, which is critically important.

The temporary foreign worker program can be given a great deal of credit for a lot of success in certain industries from coast to coast to coast. We need to recognize that.

My question is related to the leadership role Ottawa should be playing in the different regions of our country. High school students who are graduating need to be in a better position to fill the many jobs that are, in fact, there. There needs to be more graduation of post-secondary students and the courses to meet labour demands into the future. There needs to be stronger federal leadership in working with the many different provincial training bodies, departments of education and so forth to ensure that our future labour force is better equipped to meet the demands of the economy.

Does the member want to provide comment as to what the federal government's role should be in that regard?

[Chris Charlton, NDP, Hamilton Mountain, ON]

Mr. Speaker, first let me comment on the little bit of revisionist history in the preamble to the question on the Conservative record on temporary foreign workers. I agree that the record has not been a stellar record. Again, I would reference RBC hiring temporary foreign workers and displacing Canadian jobs, HD Mining and others.

The reality is that the floodgates to temporary foreign workers were actually opened under the previous Liberal government. If we look at the record, since 2002, the record has been absolutely abysmal.

I think there is a role for the temporary foreign worker program, particularly with respect to some of the skilled professions, where we currently have a shortage. However, the reality is that we need to do our very best to make sure that young people have an opportunity to get those jobs, as the member suggested. That requires investments in post-secondary education, in apprenticeship programs and in skills training. We have to make sure that young Canadians have access to those programs in an affordable way.

[Jinny Sims, NDP, Newton—North Delta, BC]

Mr. Speaker, first I want to acknowledge the work done by my colleague from Hamilton Mountain. She is stellar in the way she does her research. She comes prepared. She is stellar in her advocacy for her file and her constituents.

We are in a state in which we have more temporary foreign workers being brought into the country than skilled workers. We have all kinds of concerns about the very high unemployment among our youth, yet the government still appears to be tinkering with the idea of investing in skills development in our youth today. In her research and at committee, what kind of suggestions were put forward to—

[The Acting Speaker, Conservative, Barry Devolin]

Order, please. I would just remind the hon. member that this is a question. Could she, first of all, address the Chair and, second, take the signal that her time is rapidly expiring? Could she quickly put the question?

[Jinny Sims, NDP, Newton—North Delta, BC]

Mr. Speaker, my question to my hon. colleague is this. What does she think the government needs to do to address the serious issue of Canadians not being able to work for a living wage?

[Chris Charlton, NDP, Hamilton Mountain, ON]

Mr. Speaker, let me say to the member that our committee has also conducted a comprehensive study of apprenticeship programs and the need for serious investments in apprenticeships. It is something Canada has not taken very seriously in the past. We should follow the path of countries like Germany, which have invested in youth, in that country in particular, and have made sure that they have the skills their labour force needs, not just now but into the future. That is the kind of progressive planning Canada needs to do. It is a positive investment in our youth and is also a positive investment in our economy and in our future.

[Kellie Leitch, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development and to the Minister of Labour]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to address this concurrence motion, the report from the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities, entitled “Labour and Skills Shortages in Canada: Addressing Current and Future Challenges”.

The report is in perfect harmony with our government's policies on skill shortages. This is something that I have heard a significant amount about in doing cross-country consultations with regard to the Canada jobs grant. We also even heard about some of that this morning in committee.

Since 2006, the government's top priority has been jobs, growth and long-term prosperity. We have good reason to be proud of our performance in this area. The numbers speak for themselves.

Since the worst downturn of the recession, over 900,000 net new jobs have been created, mostly private sector and full time. In fact 90% of them have been in the private sector and full time, with over two-thirds in high-wage industries.

Canada's economy has done well, but it still can do better. There are currently thousands of jobs available across the country that continue to go unfilled and too many Canadians are still looking for work. This has serious consequences for our country's economy and for Canadians' standard of living.

For example, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in its top 10 barriers to competitiveness has once again identified skill shortages. As opposed to what the opposition likes to say, skill shortages is one of the number one obstacles to success of its members. Meanwhile we have segments of the population that are unemployed or underemployed and that would be available to fill those jobs.

Something is wrong when we have so many Canadians sitting on the sidelines, looking for ways to enter the job market at a time when employers say that they have unfilled positions. Demand is particularly great for career fields, like science, technology, engineering, mathematics and many of the skilled trades, which require exactly those same skills in math and sciences. These shortages will only become more acute over the coming years as we see more and more baby boomers retire.

Canada's economic action plan 2013 has a three-point plan to ensure that skills training is aligned with the needs of the job market, something that the opposition members state they are voting against.

First, we are introducing the Canada jobs grant to get employers directly involved in skills training decisions so they know exactly where there is a job so we can skill someone for that job, something I heard about from employers and employees all across the country last week when I was running round table consultations.

Second, the plan will create more opportunities for apprentices, something we have heard about at our committee.

Finally, it will provide support to groups that are under-represented in the job market.

Let me focus a little more on the range of measures we have announced in economic action plan 2013.

Given Canada's demographic trends and especially our aging population, skills and labour shortages will only get worse until we find a way to use the country's untapped talent. I am talking about capitalizing on the potential of groups that tend to have the highest rates of unemployment, such as Canada's young people and individuals with disabilities.

Many young people are graduating into unemployment or underemployment and that is because of a lack of skills that employers are actually seeking. There is a mismatch. Young people start to make career and education decisions as early as grade seven. By the time they finish high school, they have already formed their ideas of what is or is not actually the career for themselves. We need to help them get better information at an earlier age.

We need to help them understand where the jobs really are in Canada and where they are not, something we spoke about during the course of this committee's discussion on this exact report. These echo what the committee heard from those who were interviewed.

We know on-the-job experience is just as important as training and our apprenticeship programs are working well.

However, there is room for improvement, particularly when it comes to better credential recognition. That is why we are working to put forward, with our province and territorial partners, an ability to harmonize requirements for apprentices.

We are also going to examine the use of practical tests for methods of assessment. We will promote the use of apprentices in federal contract work, for things such as construction and maintenance of affordable housing and infrastructure projects, something that was specifically asked of us at committee.

Economic action plan 2013 will invest significant funds over two years to give Canadians access to better labour market information, exactly what I was mentioning before, providing young people in particular the opportunity to know what is available and where and where it is not and develop new outreach efforts to promote careers in high-demand fields, where jobs are available for them to fill.

For example, our young people need to become better informed about career opportunities in the skilled trades and how good wages actually exist. Having grown up in Fort McMurray, Alberta, I know that many of the individuals there, who are skilled trades individuals, have an acute idea of exactly what a good wage is and they are doing particularly well, whether that is working for a large firm or a small firm or moving on to create their own firm as an entrepreneur.

Skilled trades are an excellent opportunity for young people and it is not just apprentices who would benefit from this budget. There is another 5,000 paid internships that will be made available over three years for recent post-secondary graduates, ensuring they have on-the-job training that not only employers but employees have talked to us about so they can make the transition into the workplace.

Our economy needs the skills, talents and amazing spirit of our young people, but we also need the skills, talents and amazing spirit of Canadians with disabilities. Any vision of future growth and prosperity in Canada would be incomplete without considering the contribution that people with disabilities can make.

I would like to remind the House that economic action plan 2012 announced the creation of the Panel on Labour Market Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities. Its mandate was to identify private-sector successes and best practices and increasing the labour market participation of persons with disabilities. In its January 2013 report entitled, “Rethinking Disabilities in the Private Sector”, the panel estimates roughly 800,000 working-age Canadians who have a disability are unemployed. Imagine how they could help address the skills shortages that employers have across the country.

The panel argues that there is a good business case for hiring individuals with disabilities and the report sets out practical steps that can be taken to recruit individuals with disabilities and support them in the workplace. The panel found that many workplace accommodations required for employees with disabilities cost little to nothing and organizations that already employed persons with disabilities reported they have significant benefits, both in terms of company culture and their bottom line. From personal experience, working in clinics and talking to the parents of young adolescents who have cerebral palsy or talking with patients who have disabilities, these are exactly the things we need to be doing moving forward.

Our government is doing its part to get more people with disabilities into the workforce. Budget 2013 announced significant investments for a new generation of labour market agreements for persons with disabilities. The reformed agreements to be introduced in 2014 would better meet the needs of Canadian businesses and improve the employment prospects for individuals with disabilities.

Budget 2013 also proposes ongoing funding for the opportunities fund to provide more demand-driven training solutions for persons with disabilities. Budget 2013 would make permanent the annual funding for the enabling accessibility fund to support capital costs of construction and renovations to improve physical accessibility.

Economic action plan 2013 also proposed the creation of a Canadian employers disability forum to be managed by employers for employers. This forum will facilitate education training, the sharing of resources and best practices with regard to the employment of individuals with disabilities, something that I would encourage all members of the House to inform their businesses about and to become active in.

When I was British Columbia last Friday, a number of employers stated they had not necessarily heard what the great results were of this report. I encourage as many business leaders as possible across the country to look up this report and read the recommendations. If they have questions, they should approach individuals who can give them some direction on education and what we can do in order to aid individuals with disabilities entering into the workforce.

The budget provides enhanced funding for the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, some of which will support research on labour market participation of Canadians with disabilities entering into the workforce.

Lastly, I will comment on the cross-country consultations that the Government of Canada is doing with respect to the Canada jobs grant and temporary foreign workers. Having been in Regina, Calgary and Vancouver last week and later this week in St. John's and Halifax and other places in the country in the near future, we are listening to Canadians because we need their input and are asking for their input on how to ensure these are the most effective programs and skills training programs for Canadian businesses, employers and employees. We want to ensure we are linking Canadians to available jobs, those that are in demand, and that they have the information available to them so they can make great decisions with respect to their future career opportunities.

I appreciate the time to speak to this concurrence motion. The skills and training initiatives in economic action plan 2013 will enable more Canadians to contribute to the economy and share in our growth and prosperity across the country. Therefore, we are happy to concur with the report from the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities.

[Linda Duncan, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I welcome this report, but I have to admit that I am extremely puzzled. I look forward to the hon. member informing me on whether this incredible program, the Environment Sector Council, now called ECO Canada, which may no longer be funded by the federal government, will be remaining.

I had the honour of sitting on that board for seven years. It does labour market work on environmental employment. For more than a decade, it has shown that environmental employment is the highest growing rate of employment in the country. In this report, we see recommendations for informing Canadians about these potential jobs, with a section specifically on getting aboriginals into environmental employment and another for immigrants. It also provides for apprenticeships and matching up students with jobs for the summer.

Could the hon. member inform the House whether the Conservatives intend to continue financing the labour market reviews by ECO Canada and if they in fact intend to use that as a model for all the other agencies and government.

[Kellie Leitch, Conservative, Simcoe—Grey, ON]

Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned in my speech, we are providing significant funding in economic action plan 2013 with regard to labour market information, in fact $19 million over two years to ensure that Canadians are best informed of where there are in-demand jobs.

I think the member opposite knows that there has been a sunsetting of the sector councils. We do have an opportunity for them to apply for funding. If this organization is as excellent as the member states, and I am sure it is, then I encourage it to participate actively in that process.

We have been very clear. There are a number of in-demand jobs available and we want to best link young Canadians, individuals with disabilities and individuals looking for jobs with those opportunities. We have provided substantive funding in the budget to do just that.

The opposition, though, has already stated it is voting against that.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Mr. Speaker, it is interesting listening to the parliamentary secretary trying to give the impression to Canadians that this is a progressive government trying to get our young people and others the skill sets in order to meet the jobs of tomorrow. In fact, there has probably been more effort by the Conservative government than any other government prior in promoting itself.

In the local ridings, we spend roughly $300,000 on the summer employment program. These summer employment programs go a long way in not only filling jobs while students attend university, but also in developing the skill sets they have so they can actually get into full-time jobs after they graduate.

Would the member try to justify to Canadians how her government feels it necessary to limit the amount of real summer employment for youth, while at the same time spending literally tens of thousands, $90,000 plus, on one ad during the NHL playoffs.

[Kellie Leitch, Conservative, Simcoe—Grey, ON]

Mr. Speaker, this government has actually been very focused on ensuring young Canadians have opportunities for jobs. That is why we put forward the youth employment strategy, a $300 million program, which was augmented in last year's budget, as well as another 5,000 paid internships, as I mentioned in my speech. The member opposite may not have heard that. There are also a number of other items that employers and employees have spoken to me about, whether that be the Canada jobs grants, for which any Canadian will be able to apply. These are great opportunities for Canadians.

If the member opposite would like to talk about government spending, the Liberals cornered the market on that before 2006 when we were elected. I encourage him to think again about those numbers. I do not think he wants to get into that debate.

[Linda Duncan, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to follow up on my previous question for the hon. member.

She mentioned there was great respect for the sector councils, and I am looking quickly through the list of witnesses. Did it not occur to the government that they would be very good witnesses to come in since they used to do labour market analyses, particularly ECO Canada?

I am absolutely stunned that the Conservatives would kill the sector council. It was an organization that brought together people working in the sector, non-profit people, students and so forth. Could she speak to why on earth, at a time when the very recommendations they are making to initiate labour market studies, they have killed the very entity that did them so effectively for a decade?

[Kellie Leitch, Conservative, Simcoe—Grey, ON]

Mr. Speaker, as the member opposite knows, this is actually a committee of the House of Commons, not of the government. At our committee we have a very fair and open process. Any individuals whose names are put forward to come to committee, we actually accommodate everyone.

I would encourage the member in the future, if she would like to have someone come forward, to please speak to the members who are on our committee because we would be delighted to hear from them. Their names were never put forward, but I can say that we listened to people from all over the country. They gave great testimony and we were able to put forward this great report that all members invested a significant amount of time in.

[Anne-Marie Day, NDP, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for her speech. It caught my attention and raised some questions for me.

I received a letter from Joyce Reynolds of the Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association. It indicates that the 15 to 24 age group has reached a demographic peak, which is contributing to the labour shortage. She says that the restaurant and food service sectors will need 1,225,200 employees between now and 2015 and that 35,000 of these positions will not be filled.

The parliamentary secretary has said that the Conservatives are going to encourage the hiring of young people to fill those positions, yet this age group has clearly already reached its demographic peak. Where will they get the workers to fill these positions?

[Kellie Leitch, Conservative, Simcoe—Grey, ON]

Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned, we have an untapped wealth of 800,000 Canadians with disabilities who can fill a number of different roles, let alone a number of young people across the country seeking their first opportunity for employment. We want to provide hands-on, on-the-job training experience to as many young Canadians as is absolutely possible. That is why we have moved forward with the youth employment strategy.

I appreciate the question from the member opposite. I encourage her, just as I have all members in the House, to actually make sure that employers in her riding are well educated about the report from the panel on labour market issues regarding persons with disabilities, because she can better integrate those Canadians into her workplace.

[Rodger Cuzner, Liberal, Cape Breton—Canso, NS]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to share with the House that I will be splitting my time with my good friend and colleague from Winnipeg North. I want to thank my colleague from Hamilton Mountain for bringing this forward at this time this afternoon to speak to this very important issue.

Before we get into the meat of the issue, I will just take two minutes up front here and maybe vent a little frustration that is on the minds of many Canadians currently, especially those who follow the NHL playoffs. It sort of ties in with the whole thing about job creation and what the government is doing, but also what it is not doing with regard to job creation and opportunities to fill some of the skills shortages that are in this country. It is neglecting some of the areas where we are seeing mass out-migration and hurting rural and remote communities.

The one that really has Canadians rankled is that the Conservatives continue to waste money. They did it every night of the NHL playoffs, and of course during the Juno Awards and the Super Bowl, with the action plan advertisements. We know that it costs $32,000 a minute for these particular ads. We know the number of summer students that could support, that every time we see an ad that is 32 summer students who could probably be supported through this money. Often, these are young people's first opportunities to get into the workforce, to garner and develop those work skills and those good work habits. Then they could go further and continue their education and become strong and productive citizens. That is what we all want here. However, there is this perverse attempt by the Conservatives to paint themselves as a caring party when we know that they are squandering important, precious money on these particular advertising programs.

The latest one is the job grants. If it was not bad enough before with the action plan ads, in the job grants ads the Conservatives are actually advertising for a program that is not even set up yet. They have not spoken to the provinces yet. It is supposed to be coming in 2015 and they have not even had consultations with the provinces and they are advertising this program. It is unbelievable. It would be like me going to my wife and saying, “Honey, if you want to congratulate me now I just finished the Cabot Trail relay road race. I haven't bought my pair of runners yet, I haven't gone for a jog in six years but I'm going to finish it next year and this is my advertisement here.” It is unbelievable.

That money that the Conservatives are wasting is on a program that might or might not happen, and they have bailed out of training. Let us pick a number, say $200 million, that would have gone to the Province of New Brunswick to help with training in the labour market development agreement. Now the Conservatives are saying that they will come in with a third of the dollars if New Brunswick will come in with a third, and then the private sector will come in with a third. So if the Province of New Brunswick, which is running a significant deficit under its Conservative provincial government, cannot afford to match that $200 million, we know those federal dollars will not be going into those training opportunities for the young people in New Brunswick for them to pursue an education or apprenticeship and develop some kind of skill to be productive citizens. However, now they have the advertising. Therefore, I am with the lion's share of Canadians who are really upset with this thing.

There is a proviso at the bottom that this is subject to parliamentary approval. It has more disclaimers than a Viagra commercial. My suggestion is that they pull out of this program.

That is enough ranting about the waste we are seeing. I want to talk about support for apprentices and where the Conservatives have fallen short. Regarding the inaction, suggestions have come forward. Testimony has been presented by very credible witnesses, people who are impacted by the changes the government has made over the last number of months. For example, on the apprenticeship program we had testimony just recently from Polytechnics Canada. Witnesses pointed out during committee meetings that the level of financial support provided through the system is just simply inadequate.

We asked a number of apprentices about their level of support because if people take a trade, when they go to school they are supported by employment insurance. They talked about the attrition rate for young apprentices. People are older when they start apprenticeship programs. Maybe they take a job and get some life experience and then move to the trades when they are about 27 or 28 years old, on average. By that time, some may have a family. Certainly they have bills, if they are coming out of the workforce and are trying to upgrade into a trade. That is a reality.

When they go to school, typically they make application for employment insurance and there is a two-week waiting period. Because the Conservative government has gutted EI processing centres, cut 600 jobs in the EI processing centres, the backlog of EI claims now just goes on and on. In 2004, 80% of the time first-time claims were being turned around in 21 days. At that time we thought that was a long time for a person to go without any household income. Now, and what we heard from witnesses, that is taking 28 days. That is the new target. Conservatives have extended the target, so they have a better chance of hitting the target if they make the target a little broader, but they are only hitting that 30% of the time.

We are seeing young apprentices having to go five, six or seven weeks without any income. If they do not have family support, if they do not have someone helping them out by putting food in the fridge and paying their bills, then they are dropping out of the courses and are letting the apprenticeships go. We have testimony to that effect. There is no sign of that in the report. We are not seeing the testimony line up with the recommendations as presented.

The government heralds how well it is doing with apprenticeship grants. Through the department's own findings in 2009, it published in the apprenticeship grant review that almost all apprentices who completed their apprenticeship would have done so without the grants. I question what impact this is having on skills development and addressing the problem of skills shortages. There are many other initiatives. Certainly we have put those initiatives forward in the minority report. I would hope that the government would seriously consider and try to move on these.

[Mike Wallace, Conservative, Burlington, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I loved the member's presentation. It did not make any sense, but I loved it.

This concurrence motion is a discussion of a report on skills shortages in Canada. This government, through the economic action plan, has put forward a number of opportunities, through skills development for aboriginals, for those with disabilities, for students who need employment. I heard that the opposition has some other ideas in the minority report.

Are there things we are doing that members of the Liberal Party approve of that they would like to see happen and are they going to support us in moving forward on the area of work in terms of skills development, or are they opposed because they did not come up with the idea?

[Rodger Cuzner, Liberal, Cape Breton—Canso, NS]

Mr. Speaker, the member said he did not understand most of it. I was talking about actual situations that have taken place in households across Canada. The Conservatives are that far removed from the reality that it would be so foreign to them. They just do not understand it. They cannot relate.

There is a firewall between reality and the current government, and the Conservatives just cannot relate.

This is something that would never happen from the PMO talking points, but as a matter of fact, the labour market information aspect of the recommendations is not all that bad, so I will give the member that.

The fact is that it has been four years since the federal government received the working together to build a better labour market information system, which is all about labour market information, put together by Donald Drummond, and the Conservatives have done nothing with it. They have not moved on one of the recommendations.

The chance of the Conservatives moving on some of the recommendations we put forward in the minority report are probably about as good as the Leafs—

[The Acting Speaker, Conservative, Barry Devolin]

Questions and comments, the hon. member for Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles.

[Anne-Marie Day, NDP, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the committee repeatedly heard evidence and was provided information about the job market. We heard that there will be a labour shortage—something we have known since the 1990s—and that we do not have sufficient data about businesses, employers or the population. Furthermore, the data is not released often enough, nor are high-quality forecasts.

My question is about future shortages. We need more workers in the labour market. Does the member know whether this government has made plans to fill that labour shortage? What does his party suggest?

[Rodger Cuzner, Liberal, Cape Breton—Canso, NS]

Mr. Speaker, what the member shared with the House about the lack of information is absolutely true. Certainly reducing the funding to the sector councils would have an adverse effect going forward, in recognizing opportunities within the workforce, what industries would require and what types of work they would need. The defunding of the sector councils was a huge step back for workforce development.

Does the government have a plan? We saw the plan the Conservatives had for temporary foreign workers. A year ago they introduced the 15% decrease, the accelerated labour market opinions. They introduced that last year and now, 12 months later, they flip on that and pull that stuff away.

The Conservatives have managed to have everybody wondering what the heck is next. Business and the workforce are guessing about what will happen next, because there is no plan and no strategy. In the absence of that, we have chaos.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Mr. Speaker, perhaps I could pick up on my colleague's comments about the lack of a plan. There is a significant difference between this particular government and the Liberal Party. The government has demonstrated a willingness to act, to a certain degree, but in a very piecemeal way. It will take on a little section and then talk about how much it is investing and how it will be to the betterment of Canadians. What we really need to do is take a holistic approach dealing with our skills and the types of employment opportunities out there.

What we have witnessed with the government are serious cutbacks and neglect in dealing with the skills shortages Canada has, not only for today, but also for tomorrow. We need a government—ideally a Liberal government, I would suggest—that is going to take a more holistic approach to dealing with what is a very serious issue that all Canadians are trying to better appreciate. They want to see a government being more aggressive in dealing with the skills shortage and labour needs going forward.

Canadians are concerned about unemployment. It is very real. Look at our youth unemployment numbers. They are some of the highest we have ever seen. The government is actually seeing net decreases in youth employment opportunities going forward. Of course we are going to be concerned about that.

What about the middle class, the individual who is 45 to 55 years of age, who now finds himself unemployed? Maybe he was working in the manufacturing industry in Ontario or Manitoba or any other place in Canada. He was receiving a relatively decent wage and now finds himself unemployed because of the structuring that is taking place worldwide and the impact, in part, it has had on Canada. Where is that caring, compassionate government that is going to stand up for the middle class, the working class, someone who has been deemed unemployed because of a factory having been shut down? The government has not ponied up. It has not been at the table. We do not see a government working with the many different stakeholders in our community.

My colleague made reference to the jobs grant. The government is spending taxpayers' dollars on promoting the jobs grant, yet it has not done its homework on it. It has not had the necessary meetings with the many different stakeholders to try to develop a program that will be effective. This is something in which the government has been very much lacking.

It was not that long ago that I was standing up and using the example of youth and summer employment job opportunities. We are seeing fewer youth being employed today than we have seen under previous administrations. Quite often it is those summer jobs that provide the skills and opportunities that assist young people upon completion of their post-secondary education in landing their first job. Instead, we have seen the government cut back on that.

At the same time, the Minister of Finance and the government have spent astronomical amounts of tax dollars. They are using tax dollars to promote things like the action plan, which many, including me, would argue is a dud. Tax dollars are being spent on commercials. As my colleague mentioned, it costs $90,000 for a 30-second ad during NHL playoffs, and it is getting to be more of an expense.

These are Canadian tax dollars being used for something that is just not necessary, while on the other hand, every community across Canada could benefit from the tax dollars being spent on youth summer jobs. Those jobs will go much further in terms of advancing skills for young people.

However, I believe we need to do a lot more. We need to take a holistic approach. This is where, I would argue, Liberals differ from New Democrats. The previous member who spoke got a little upset with the temporary foreign worker program. There is some reason to be upset with the temporary foreign worker program. Let us recognize that the program has done wonders for our country. It has improved the standard of living for every Canadian and resident in Canada. If it is done properly and managed in the way it was intended to be managed, it is not going to displace one resident or Canadian in this country from a job. It should be building our economy. There are certain industries in Canada today that would not be here if it were not for the temporary foreign worker program.

Unlike the NDP, Liberals see the merits of the program and believe the program has great value, but we also understand that abuse has been taking place and the government has allowed it to take place. The government has failed to recognize how important it is to have the skill set training programs in place to ensure that we are better able to fill the labour market, whether it is today or into the future. The government has not been successful in doing that and, in good part, has been relying on the temporary foreign worker program to fill that gap.

There are many different ways in which the Government of Canada could be demonstrating leadership in ensuring that valued jobs, which are important jobs and could potentially continue to grow our economy, are being filled by Canadians and residents of Canada. One of the most important things it can do is work with different stakeholders. The government has not been known to sit down with stakeholders in provinces and cities to come up with good, sound public policy, but if it genuinely cares about creating jobs and wants Canadians to be employed, it needs to give more attention to this file. That means picking up the telephone and, beyond that, meeting with ministers and trying to line up different types of programs that are being made available, recognizing it has a role to play in that.

Far too often I meet with high school students who say they hear about jobs and then ask to what degree they are actually being provided the opportunity to acquire those jobs or to what degree community colleges or universities are working with the private sector and different levels of government to ensure that future jobs are in fact being taken into consideration when the curriculum is being developed. Many would argue that is long term and, yes, it is long term, but there are also short-term things the government can be doing, such as working with stakeholders and providing incentives through the use of tax dollars to ensure there are first-class training opportunities for people who call Canada home, whether they are Canadian citizens or landed immigrants.

We have people who are prepared to do the work. They are looking for strong leadership from the government and other sectors to come to the table to make sure those jobs are in fact going to people who call Canada home.

[Jim Flaherty, Conservative, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, I listened carefully to the comments of the hon. member opposite, and I must say I agree with him entirely that infrastructure in Canada needs more support, that the municipalities need more support on infrastructure, that we need a much more effective jobs training program and that our manufacturers need assistance.

Since we are doing all of these things, and in fact they are major points of the economic action plan 2013, I ask the member opposite whether will he vote his conscience in support of the budget bill.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Mr. Speaker, first, I compliment the Minister of Finance for listening to what I have to say.

I think it is important that he recognize that there needs to be leadership from the Prime Minister's Office in dealing with the important issues facing our country today.

If the Prime Minister truly believes in doing things for our working class and our middle class and wants to create more jobs, why has he never met once with the premiers as a collective group? Why does he not look at how we can start working together? Canadians expect the Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance to be working in co-operation.

I recognize, as the Liberal Party of Canada recognizes, how critically important it is that we keep our economy moving forward and put emphasis on job creation, on infrastructure and so forth, but we also believe it is critically important that we work in co-operation with the many different stakeholders, including the different levels of government, because if we are successful at doing that, we will create more jobs and more skill sets for Canadians.

To date the government has been doing it in a very piecemeal fashion. It means that some will be created, but nowhere to the degree that Canada has the potential to create if in fact we were prepared to show—