House of Commons Hansard #142 of the 41st Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was young.

Topics

FinanceCommittees of the HouseRoutine Proceedings

3:50 p.m.

NDP

Peter Julian NDP Burnaby—New Westminster, BC

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his comments, but he seems to underplay what has been a dramatic and tragic rise in youth unemployment. He sees table 4 in the report, like we all do, which shows the rate of youth unemployment when the Conservatives took office, or just after, at 15.7%, rising in 2013 to 20.1%. The increase has been dramatic in provinces like my own province of British Columbia, where it is 66%.

These are tragedies. As the member for Chambly—Borduas spoke about just a few minutes ago, there is scarring that takes place permanently with that degree of youth unemployment. We already have record levels of student debt across the country, so young people are now mortgaged in many ways. They have record levels of student debt, and now, under the current Conservative government, we are seeing record levels of youth unemployment.

How are they going to pay down their student debt? How are they going to actually move to a career when we have unemployment rates that are skyrocketing under the current Conservative government? Why have the Conservatives not undertaken the suggestions that have been put forward by the opposition, including by the NDP, that would actually serve to reduce the high levels of youth unemployment we are seeing in this country?

FinanceCommittees of the HouseRoutine Proceedings

3:50 p.m.

Conservative

Randy Hoback Conservative Prince Albert, SK

Mr. Speaker, I will remind the member that the youth unemployment rate was 13.7% in 2013, compared to the U.S., with about 15.5%, and the United Kingdom, with over 20%. I will also remind him that in some provinces the youth unemployment rate is drastically lower than in other provinces. There is a regional aspect.

That is where we can come in as a government and help out by giving students the ability to see what fields and occupations are in demand, giving them the knowledge to know where those jobs are located, and making them part of the Job Bank so they can go online and see what jobs are available on a daily basis and get the email on a daily basis. Those are initiatives we can use to help bring the employer and the employee together and hopefully tackle the youth unemployment rate in Canada.

It is never perfect. One per cent is probably too high a number for youth unemployment. We would like to see full employment. In fact, in my province of Saskatchewan, we are sitting at roughly a 3.9% unemployment rate right across the board. We need more employees. We want more skilled trades. We want more skilled employment and more students going through the skills and training programs so they can fill these jobs that are sitting there in Saskatchewan.

I am very optimistic for youth as they come into the job market. There are lots of opportunities, and we are giving them the tools to help them identify what those opportunities are, where they are located, and what they can do to secure jobs in fields that actually have a bright future.

FinanceCommittees of the HouseRoutine Proceedings

3:55 p.m.

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux Liberal Winnipeg North, MB

Mr. Speaker, I would like to go directly to recommendation number 23. It states:

That the federal government and the appropriate parliamentary committees consider further study of the following three topics: student enrolment in post-secondary institutions and the effectiveness in job preparation; student tuition fees and debt; and domestic and international youth employment rates, as well as the factors contributing to those rates.

I wonder if the member might want to provide a comment, when we look at these recommendations, in particular recommendation number 23, which calls on parliamentary committees to actually meet and have discussions on these topics, on the importance of these meetings happening.

FinanceCommittees of the HouseRoutine Proceedings

3:55 p.m.

Conservative

Randy Hoback Conservative Prince Albert, SK

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate my colleague's questions and comments, but I think what students and young people want is action. They want to see us move forward on things that they already know are tangible issues.

The jobs bank is just one example of where we are doing that. There are 380,000 subscribers who receive daily emails about what jobs are available. That is action, and that is what this government is doing.

We can look at the job matching services. We are taking people who are on the job bank and matching them with employers who need these skilled and experienced people. We can look at the new career choice tools and other initiatives that give an eyes-wide-open approach for students, so they can see what skills are required for jobs, match them up, and actually get that job.

It is very rewarding for a student to know that all of their hard work and effort in studying and training will result in a job that they want to do and a career they can have for the rest of their lives.

FinanceCommittees of the HouseRoutine Proceedings

3:55 p.m.

Conservative

Mike Wallace Conservative Burlington, ON

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for this particular concurrence motion. I also want to thank the finance committee that is looking at this issue.

In my own household, I have two young women: one has just graduated and one is in her final year. The experience in my household and in my daughter's peer group is that some are having difficulty finding work but others are not. It depends on which field they have chosen, where they are looking, whether they are willing to be mobile, and so on. It is an issue that I am quite familiar with, based on the challenges of my own family and daughter's peer group.

Fortunately for us, my daughter seems to be on the lucky side and was able to find employment in her field. She is a graduate from the University of Ottawa.

In my newsletter that goes out three times a year, I have a column on industries that need people. I do not expect youth to be reading my newsletter; I am gearing it to the parents of young people who will be able to better inform their young people of where the opportunities might be.

Does the member have any comment about the role of parents in the future of the young people and whether they choose a university or skills trade path?

FinanceCommittees of the HouseRoutine Proceedings

3:55 p.m.

Conservative

Randy Hoback Conservative Prince Albert, SK

Mr. Speaker, that is a great question. I compliment my colleague in taking the initiative to put this in his householder four times a year so that parents will read it and maybe give some hope to their kids.

I think it is very important to have a team approach, a family approach, when one is graduating from high school and going into the workforce. What do we want to see our kids do, and what do our kids want to accomplish?

When I was going to school, it was “I am not sure what you're going to take, but go to university”. Everyone wanted to go to university.

Now when kids graduate, they have so many options that pay so well, depending on what field they want to go into. If they want to be a welder, they can make $100,000 plus a year. If they want to be a pipefitter, they can make $100,000 a year. They can work in a variety of occupations that are skilled and where apprenticeships and journeyships are required, and they can go through the process starting in high school in some cases. They can get well-paid jobs in those fields because there is such a high demand for those skills.

Parents can now tell their kids that they have opportunities and ask where they would like to have a career. As they sit down with their kids and talk about that, they can talk about whether they like working outdoors or indoors, whether they want to be in an office or outside. They can look at a variety of different aspects to find something that has a huge demand in Canada, and they can fill that demand.

Again, we have a lot more options, and I think parents are taking a more broadened approach. They are looking at the big picture. They are thinking that it is not just a university degree anymore, but that maybe a plumber or electrician might be a good career path. Those types of things are options that I think parents are sitting down and talking to their kids about, and I think that in the end everyone will be a winner.

FinanceCommittees of the HouseRoutine Proceedings

4 p.m.

NDP

Mike Sullivan NDP York South—Weston, ON

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to speak to this report.

One of the things that the government put in a budget two years ago would have done a lot to help youth unemployment, particularly in my riding of York South—Weston. We have the Central Ontario Building Trades in our riding, which runs the hammer heads program. It gives unemployed youth an opportunity to have a leg-up on apprenticeship programs, but requires that at the end of the 12-week training program that there be an apprenticeship job for them.

Two years ago, then finance minister Mr. Flaherty said that the government, as it spends infrastructure money, would encourage the contractors it hires to create apprenticeships to fulfill the need for student jobs in these programs. That was in the 2013 budget. To date, the government has not introduced any such motion or any such provision. In any of the budget implementation bills, there is no indication of that.

We have been asking the Government of Ontario, which is spending billions on infrastructure, to do the same thing. Thus far it has failed to provide a link between the infrastructure spending and apprenticeships.

Would the member like to comment on why the government has failed to introduce such legislation?

FinanceCommittees of the HouseRoutine Proceedings

4 p.m.

Conservative

Randy Hoback Conservative Prince Albert, SK

Mr. Speaker, I cannot comment on the Government of Ontario. I am from Saskatchewan, but I understand that the Government of Ontario has failed in many different aspects in its reign here in Ontario. I think the results are showing up on the power bills and everything else that is happening here.

It is also important that the business community take ownership as a role model, a person or group that will bring students into organizations and the jobs that are available, and encourage students to look at the fields it is hiring in. It is not just the role of the government to try to encourage people; the business community also has to step forward. It has to say that there are opportunities to become a welder, an electrician, a lawyer, a doctor, or a pharmacist. Those type of sectors can do the same thing, if not better, and I would say much better, than what government could ever do.

I think those sectors should do what they can to encourage students to enter their fields of occupation, so that they receive the benefit of having employees to hire in the future.

FinanceCommittees of the HouseRoutine Proceedings

4 p.m.

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux Liberal Winnipeg North, MB

Mr. Speaker, it is with pleasure that I rise to speak to the important issue of youth unemployment.

I listened to my New Democrat friends talk in particular about recommendation number 16. Following the NDP talking about that recommendation, the government then said in answer to a question I posed that people want action and results, not necessarily more studies. This somewhat contradicts, at least the latter part of my comment about not having more studies or committees not doing more work, which somewhat contradicts what recommendation number 23 states.

I hope to go through a number of the recommendations. I would like to address recommendation numbers 16 and 23, and I will start by reading verbatim what recommendation 16 states. It says, “That the federal government explore ways to promote youth hiring in Canada, such as tax credits for businesses that hire Canadians aged 18 to 30”.

The New Democratic Party has emphasized that recommendation, and the Conservative government has said that it needs to take action. I have a question that I would like to put to both the NDP and the Conservatives.

The leader of the Liberal party introduced a wonderful idea that would have dealt with recommendation 16. Members will remember the EI premium exemption that was suggested by the Liberal Party and that was brought to the House for a vote. That EI premium exemption would have provided a tax exemption for every worker who is hired to fill a new job in 2015-16. Who would have been the biggest benefactor had the government and the New Democratic Party recognized that as being a good idea? The biggest benefactors would be the young people of Canada, no matter where they live. Had the government acted on that policy, young people from coast to coast to coast would benefit. They would be employed.

I was surprised to a certain degree with respect to the government's total rejection of the idea, from the Prime Minister's Office down to all of the ministers. I would like to think that if a good idea is brought forward that the government, wanting to serve the people of Canada, would jump on it if it would make a positive difference. However, the government had its own tax plan in mind, the small business tax credit, which in essence would draw upon the same fund. That plan would be exceptionally more costly.

If we are to compare the two ideas, we would find that the Liberal plan would have generated well over 100,000 jobs across this country. On the other hand, the Conservative plan, even in a bizarre situation, might have led to some businesses laying off people, or it might have generated 20,000 possible jobs, on the high side. I was disappointed that the Prime Minister did not acknowledge how all Canadians would have benefited from the Liberal party policy by accepting our policy.

I was quite surprised to see the New Democratic Party vote against the proposal. Think about it. Today those members are talking about it in the form of a recommendation, and the recommendation says “That the federal government explore ways to promote youth hiring in Canada, such as tax credits for businesses that hire Canadians aged 18 to 30”.

One of the biggest, if not the biggest, benefactor under that Liberal plan was those youth, who are being referred to in this recommendation.

On the one hand, we have the New Democrats saying that they love this recommendation, and they espouse about how much they like it. However, when it came down to the time to vote, what did the New Democrats do? They voted against it. I somewhat expected it from the Conservatives, but I did not expect the New Democrats would have turned down an idea that would have employed more young people from coast to coast to coast in Canada.

Let us go on to the other recommendation that I made reference to in the form of a question. Again, for the benefit of all members, I will read the recommendation verbatim from the report. It states, “That the federal government and the appropriate” and I want to underline this part because I know the House Leader of the Official Opposition loves this one:

—parliamentary committees consider further study of the following three topics: student enrolment in post-secondary institutions and the effectiveness in job preparation; student tuition fees and debt; and domestic and international youth employment rates, as well as the factors contributing to those rates.

In essence, the recommendation says that there is a very important role for our parliamentary committees to conduct studies. There are some within this chamber who do not recognize the value of having our standing committees meet. I would suggest for those members that they recognize what recommendation 23 talks about.

FinanceCommittees of the HouseRoutine Proceedings

4:10 p.m.

NDP

Peter Julian NDP Burnaby—New Westminster, BC

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. As you know, just before the break, the member for Winnipeg North was basically ruled out of order five days in a row. He was doing better now, but he is starting to get off into his own private world. As we know, he has to be relevant to the committee report and should stay focused on that. I just want to raise that. He seems to be going off on tangents again.

FinanceCommittees of the HouseRoutine Proceedings

4:10 p.m.

Conservative

The Acting Speaker Conservative Barry Devolin

The member raises the point of relevance, but it is only fair to state that the member for Winnipeg North has been speaking to the matter. As all members know, members are given latitude to bring other matters to bear in the conversation.

In this case, the Chair would be pleased to give the floor back to the hon. member for Winnipeg North,

FinanceCommittees of the HouseRoutine Proceedings

4:10 p.m.

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux Liberal Winnipeg North, MB

Mr. Speaker, I do appreciate that. The point I am trying to get across is, as it has been stated in recommendation 23, “That the federal government and the appropriate parliamentary committees consider further study of the following three topics”. Then it lists off the topics.

The Liberal Party believes the committees need to meet to have following dialogue to ensure that the work that is important gets done. We will continue to push for this.

Having said that, and listening to many different comments, let us go back to recommendation 1, which states:

That the federal government work with the provinces and territories to improve education and labour market information for secondary and post-secondary students so that they can make informed career choices. As well, efforts should be directed to promoting apprenticeships.

There is a couple of things that really come to my mind that are very important to emphasize. The national government has a role to play. We, in the Liberal Party, would ultimately argue that the national government has been found wanting in meeting the needs of fulfilling that role, that there is so much more the national government can do.

We know we have a Canada social transfer. That social transfer is in excess of $10 billion. I suspect it is probably closer to $12 billion. I do not have the hard number, but I know it is definitely well above $10 billion. What is that social transfer for?

I can bring to the chamber a perspective that goes beyond just the House of Commons, because I also served inside the Manitoba legislature. I can reflect on many of the debates that occurred there and how important it was that we had that Canada social transfer, and the role that the federal government could play in not only providing money, but even going beyond the issue of money.

The best example I can think of right off hand is something of which many apprentices throughout Canada would be very much aware. In this recommendation, it talks about promoting apprenticeships. There are apprenticeship programs in every province, primarily administered by the provinces, but the federal government does have a role to play in working with the provinces.

More and more, labour is very mobile. Labour wants to ensure that, as much as possible, it is able to benefit from education and training often received at a fairly expensive cost such as going to a college or university. It wants to ensure there is mobility. When I say mobility, I am talking about more than, for example, just becoming a specialty cook or chef and getting a certificate from the Red River College in Manitoba, and only working in Manitoba. People would like to enter into future potential employment opportunities that go beyond one province.

We have the Red Seal program that has afforded many, in many different occupations, the opportunity to not only practise the training they have acquired in one provincial jurisdiction, but to take that training and go to other jurisdictions, quite often with that red seal.

As we go forward into the future, I believe we will see more of a demand for things such as the red seal. There will be more of a demand for the federal government to look at ways in which it can work with provincial entities. When I say provincial entities, I am not just talking about the provincial government, I am also talking about other stakeholders such as our colleges, universities and other post-secondary types of facilities, even our high schools in some situations. People would be amazed at the types of education coming through our high schools today.

I have the good fortune to have Sisler High School, Children of the Earth High School, R.B. Russell Vocational School, St. John's High School, or Maples Collegiate, all in Winnipeg North. Canada's brightest and most talented graduate from those institutions every year, which might sound a bit biased. However, many of those individuals are going directly into universities, colleges and other forms of post-secondary education. Many of them will go into the private sector in the hope they will be able to continue on through apprenticeship programs.

Generally speaking, those apprenticeships programs are initiated through the provincial government and different stakeholders, in particular industry representatives. They all have an important role in recognizing those who graduate and, as much as possible, to ensure there is the right connection. It is critical that government recognize it has a role to ensure there is a connection to the type of jobs that are there today and that will be there tomorrow, and ensure that our educational facilities across the country move in a direction that will see jobs for those people who graduate.

There are certain industries, and every province has them. I often talk about Manitoba's aerospace industry. It is a very important industry to our province. It has and provides hundreds of jobs for Manitoba. The impact it has on our families, our social life, our economy is virtually immeasurable. It would be upsetting to not have the educated or those graduates to fill those jobs.

I have lost the context of time somewhat, but I believe it was three or four weeks ago that I took a tour of Magellan Aerospace. It was nice to see that it had world-class workers who were providing state-of-the-art production of military hardware. As I went through the tour, one of the places we went into was a college classroom. We have an industry working with a post-secondary facility, which has provided the chairs. Those youth, and they are primarily youth, have the benefit of having a class in a world-class manufacturing company that has some of the most expensive and totally unique capital infrastructure. It is one of the reasons why places around the world turn to Magellan to get certain parts manufactured.

These are the type of connections that are important. Governments do have a role to play in this.

The leader of the Liberal Party talks about reaching out and connecting with Canadians and the importance of the middle class. Liberals are talking about making sure that people get good, quality jobs. We are putting an emphasis on how important education is. How can we provide more opportunities for young people? Without a doubt, it is through education. Education equates to opportunities, but there are many opportunities being lost because in many ways we are not making the connections. If we read some of the committee comments with regard to other social issues that need to be addressed in order to afford people the opportunity to gain employment, especially disadvantaged youth, we would go a long way in addressing youth unemployment in Canada today.

With those few comments, my time has already expired. I only covered 3 of the 25 recommendations made. In answering a question, I may be able to cover a couple more.

FinanceCommittees of the HouseRoutine Proceedings

4:20 p.m.

Conservative

Laurie Hawn Conservative Edmonton Centre, AB

Mr. Speaker, I listened intently to my hon. colleague from Winnipeg North and I want to follow up on the education aspect.

Clearly, we have a situation in which we have people without jobs and jobs without people. Particularly as it relates to young people, to me one of the biggest challenges is that the people without jobs are not qualified to fill the jobs that are looking for people. In Germany, Austria, Denmark, and some other European countries, there are very aggressive programs that highlight the trades at a very early age. The average age of a German apprentice with the equivalent of Red Seal would be 19. The average age in Canada is probably about 10 years older than that because young people get into the education stream, whether it is university, a B.A., B.Sc., whatever, and find they cannot get work, wind up in the trades, and have lost a decade.

Would my colleague see some merit in having some kind of mechanism, perhaps in social or education transfers, with the provinces for that? I mention the provinces because it is a provincial responsibility obviously. With reference to his time in the Manitoba legislature, would he seem merit in encouraging the provinces to start a program much sooner in high school, highlighting the trades and starting that stream whereby young people would go into the trades much earlier?

FinanceCommittees of the HouseRoutine Proceedings

4:25 p.m.

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux Liberal Winnipeg North, MB

Mr. Speaker, even at the provincial level there are school divisions. Quite often, the school trustees are making the decisions that impact what is being taught in high schools in particular. I think we could do a lot more in ensuring that there is a more comprehensive overall approach in dealing with the bigger picture, so that there is more continuity and consistency across Canada.

Yes, the provincial government obviously has a very important role constitutionally and otherwise with regard to this issue, but we should not underestimate our role. We have more of a role than just providing money. Nothing prevents the federal government from being creative on the issue of apprenticeship. Nothing prevents the government from looking at ways to co-operate with different levels of government, allowing for more consistency throughout Canada, so we can make sure that the jobs today and tomorrow will be filled by the people who are graduating high school today and going into the jobs of tomorrow.

FinanceCommittees of the HouseRoutine Proceedings

4:25 p.m.

NDP

Matthew Dubé NDP Chambly—Borduas, QC

Mr. Speaker, I want to address the member's comments about how the New Democrats voted on the Liberal scheme involving EI premiums. My constituents, and I am sure many of my colleagues' constituents, are happy when we vote against the Liberals messing around with EI, because historically that has not been very positive for workers. I understand that the Liberal finance critic might be a bit confused about his position on issues. We have heard him in question period.

The NDP proposal, which is a recommendation in this finance committee report, is to offer a tax credit to small and medium-size businesses that are hiring and training young people.

The member can try to deflect this and turn it into a question on how New Democrats voted on a Liberal scheme that clearly was not going to do what it was supposedly intended to do. Rather than deflect on that, can he perhaps tell us whether he would vote on this kind of idea, if it were to come before the House, or if this is the kind of thing his party would support, this NDP idea of a tax credit for young workers?

FinanceCommittees of the HouseRoutine Proceedings

4:25 p.m.

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux Liberal Winnipeg North, MB

Mr. Speaker, I suspect that the member might be feeling a little bit guilty about the way he voted. I do not blame him if that is the case.

If we look at recommendation 16, it is very clear. It says:

That the federal government explore ways to promote youth hiring in Canada, such as tax credits for businesses...

The Liberal proposal was an EI premium exemption. That is a tax credit of sorts.

At the end of the day, what is recommendation number 16 hoping to achieve? It is hoping to have more young people in Canada getting jobs. What was the idea behind the Liberal proposal? Getting more Canadians jobs. In particular, it would have helped the youth that the member is referring to.

I do not understand how members can speak in favour of recommendation 16 and vote against what the leader of the Liberal Party came forward about and asked the government for, which was an EI premium exemption that would have resulted directly in thousands of youth being employed had it passed.

FinanceCommittees of the HouseRoutine Proceedings

4:25 p.m.

NDP

Ève Péclet NDP La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC

Mr. Speaker, the only number I want to point out to my colleague is 1995.

In 1995, the Liberal government decided to cut transfer payments to the provinces for education. When he gave his speech about education, I thought he should have looked at his own history, since his party balanced the budget on the backs of students and young people.

His government never reviewed the federal Canada summer jobs program. Demand has only increased since the program was created. Nevertheless, the Liberal government did not take that increased demand into account during all the years when it could have introduced legislation.

What would his party do if we had to review the Canada summer jobs program?

I hope that he would say that he would increase the budget.

FinanceCommittees of the HouseRoutine Proceedings

4:30 p.m.

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux Liberal Winnipeg North, MB

Mr. Speaker, the member is somewhat misleading. I was there in a provincial legislature in 1995 when the cuts she is referring to were made. I can tell Canadians that had Ottawa not made the decisions back in 1995, we would not have the health transfers and other transfers that we have today.

The transfers back in the 1990s were based on tax credits, as opposed to cash transfers. Yes, there were some real cuts made. I will acknowledge that. However, at the end of the day, the member should at least acknowledge that transfer payments and equalization payments are at record highs today, and it is because of Paul Martin, the former minister of finance and prime minister, and former Prime Minister Chrétien. That is why we have the billions of dollars, record highs, flowing today. It is not because of the current government.

FinanceCommittees of the HouseRoutine Proceedings

4:30 p.m.

Liberal

Frank Valeriote Liberal Guelph, ON

Mr. Speaker, the member for Winnipeg North made reference to other recommendations that he did not have the opportunity to address. I wonder if he might inform the House of a few of those recommendations, particularly recommendation 19.

FinanceCommittees of the HouseRoutine Proceedings

4:30 p.m.

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux Liberal Winnipeg North, MB

Mr. Speaker, I really appreciate that question. Let me quickly read recommendation 19:

That the federal government commit to renewing the Aboriginal Skills and Employment Training Strategy program.

There is absolutely no doubt about this, and the Dauphin Friendship Centre made an excellent presentation at the committee about the need for it. Some provinces may be more affected than others by this, but overall when we are talking about Canada, it is a tragic mistake if we do not deal with the issues in recommendation 19 about the aboriginal skills and employment training strategy.

It is one of the fastest, if not the fastest, growing communities in some areas. For us to realize its potential, we need to invest and make sure that our first nations and aboriginal people are being brought in, in consultation, and that we start being a whole lot more progressive in providing opportunities.

I would really emphasize the importance of education. My leader was quoted over the last number of days about the importance of education in our schools and the need for more resources for many of our aboriginal and first nations children.

FinanceCommittees of the HouseRoutine Proceedings

4:30 p.m.

Conservative

The Acting Speaker Conservative Barry Devolin

It is my duty, pursuant to Standing Order 38, to inform the House that the question to be raised tonight at the time of adjournment is as follows: the hon. member for Edmonton—Strathcona, Aboriginal Affairs.

FinanceCommittees of the HouseRoutine Proceedings

4:30 p.m.

Cumberland—Colchester—Musquodoboit Valley Nova Scotia

Conservative

Scott Armstrong ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Employment and Social Development

Mr. Speaker, I will be splitting my time.

I would first like to commend the members of the finance committee for their excellent report on the employment challenges faced by young Canadians and for their recommendations.

As all hon. members know, this is a file on which the government has been particularly active and I welcome the opportunity to add a few observations to this discussion.

Let us start with the big picture. Overall, the economy is doing well. We bounced back from the 2008 recession in much better shape than most countries in the G7. On job creation, the numbers are solid. Over a million net new jobs have been created since 2009. That is 675,000 more than pre-recession levels. Contrary to what some people may think and some members of the media like to say, over 85% of the jobs that have been created are full-time positions, with more than two-thirds in high-wage industries.

As well, the IMF and the OECD expect that Canada will have one of the strongest-growing economies in the G7 for the next year, and the year after that.

Trade deals have been established with 44 countries, including South Korea and the 27 members of the European Union.

To top it all off, we will be presenting a balanced budget for next year.

The challenge is to ensure that we are thoroughly prepared to take advantage of the opportunities that are now before us.

One of the biggest opportunities is what is being called Canada's “new industrial revolution” in commodities and the extractive industries, specifically in the mining and oil and gas industries. It is estimated that investment in those areas over the next few years could reach as high as $650 billion. I am talking about offshore oil and gas in Newfoundland; precious metals in northern Quebec; mining operations in northern Ontario's Ring of Fire; new hydro developments in Manitoba; potash and uranium in Saskatchewan; bitumen reserves, oil and gas, and other resources in Alberta; and new mining developments in northern B.C. and across all three northern territories.

It is clear. We are going to need people with the skills, expertise, knowledge, and drive to see these and all other economic ventures come to fruition. This will translate into high-paying, high-quality jobs, primarily in occupations requiring university or college, or apprenticeships.

What does this opportunity mean for the young people of this country, young people who are getting ready to make the transition from school into the labour market, young people who are making the decision of what fields they are going to engage in as they go on to post-secondary education, as they go on to trades, as they go on to apprenticeships? What information do they need so they can challenge these new jobs and try to get employment for their future, to build a family, and to continue to build this great country?

First, it means that our economy is going to continue to expand and provide a huge number of opportunities for these young people.

However, as the committee report rightly points out, young people have particular challenges in getting a job and staying in the labour force. In Canada, the unemployment rate for young people is about double that of all other workers. The only good news is that young people tend to be unemployed for shorter periods of time—on average for 12 weeks, compared with twice that for workers over the age of 25.

I would like to point out that high youth unemployment is not just a Canadian phenomenon. It is a worldwide phenomenon or problem. In fact, our youth unemployment rate of 13.7% in 2013 was lower than the OECD average of 16.2%. For example, the U.S. rate was 15.5% and the rate in the U.K. was over 20%.

That being said, the government has a whole range of programs and policies to help guide and support young Canadians as they ready themselves for a positive career. These start at home with things like the registered education savings plan that allows families to put aside money in a tax-sheltered education savings account for future post-secondary education expenses. This is supplemented by the Canada education savings grant that can provide up to $7,200 more for Canadian youth for their education. Then there are Canada student loans and grants that continue to help hundreds of thousands of Canadian students pay for their post-secondary education.

As of this year, and because we want to encourage more people to get into the skilled trades, the student loan program has been extended with the $100 million a year Canada apprenticeship loan. It would help apprentices registered in the Red Seal trades to pay for technical training.

Recently, we also approved significant investments to expand the labour market information provided to young people across this country. This includes an additional $14 million annually on two new Statistics Canada surveys. Together, the surveys would provide Canadians, including youth, with relevant information on in-demand jobs by regions and by economic sectors. They would also provide reliable wage information from employers at the regional and local levels.

The youth employment strategy has a budget of over $360 million in 2014-15 and is helping young Canadians between 15 and 30 develop the skills and get the job experience they need for success in the workforce. The strategy includes such things as funding for Career Focus to support internships for post-secondary graduates and subsidies to employers to hire students through the Canada summer jobs program. Since 2006, our government has helped over six million youth obtain skills, training and jobs, and there is still more to do.

As hon. members know, the government has also transformed the labour market agreements and introduced the Canada job grant to bring private sector employers into the training mix. The Canada job grant gives employers a real stake in training programs and allows them to help shape those programs to better match their specific needs. By 2017-18, a total of $300 million per year will be invested nationally in the Canada job grant.

The government has also created more targeted supports for young people who have historically been under-represented in the labour force, particularly young aboriginal Canadians and young Canadians with disabilities. Upwards of 400,000 young aboriginal Canadians will reach working age over the next 10 years. We have a great opportunity with this population. Also, there are some 800,000 individuals with disabilities, including many young Canadians who are able to work but are not currently working, even though their disability does not prevent them from doing so. This represents enormous untapped potential.

The government is using the youth employment strategy, the opportunities funds for people with disabilities, and targeted funding for aboriginal youth to help young people in these groups get ready to participate full time in Canada's workforce.

In conclusion, a strong and growing economy marches forward on the skills and expertise of its workforce. That is why our government is committed to doing everything in its power to help young Canadians obtain the highest skill levels they can.

A stronger workforce would give us a more dynamic and faster-growing economy. This is something I am sure all of us here want to see and support for future years.

FinanceCommittees of the HouseRoutine Proceedings

4:40 p.m.

NDP

Ève Péclet NDP La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC

Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the same question I asked my other colleague.

As I said, the Canada summer jobs program, which helps hundreds of thousands of Canadian students acquire experience, has never been reviewed. Its budget no longer meets the demands of the past 20 years. Funding has not been increased for 20 years. Everyone would agree that, for years now, we have been seeing an increase in demand every year. I think that all of the members here can attest to that.

I would like to know what my colleague thinks about the recommendation in the report that addresses the Canada summer jobs program and calls on the government to review the program. What will his government do for the Canada summer jobs program and how will it help young people gain experience and find work?

FinanceCommittees of the HouseRoutine Proceedings

4:40 p.m.

Conservative

Scott Armstrong Conservative Cumberland—Colchester—Musquodoboit Valley, NS

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for that very important question.

One of the biggest challenges for youth who are trying to find employment is that often when they knock on the door and ask an employer to give them a job, the employer says that they would love to hire them and asks what experience they have. Sometimes they have no experience. They do not have the employable skills in their background to take on the job being offered by the employer.

That is one of the focuses of the youth summer employment program. We need to make sure that this program not only provides summer employment for students between semesters but also provides employment that will help them build the skills they need to go to work every day in their own communities after they graduate from post-secondary education or finish an apprenticeship.

We need to make sure that the youth employment program, the summer jobs program, the Career Focus program, and the skills link program have a work experience basis underpinning the fact that they are going to develop skills. It is not just a summer job between semesters; it has to provide the skills and work experience they need. It has to provide an ability to build their own skill base so that they can apply for jobs when they finish their education.

There is a continued push toward strong funding for the youth employment system and the summer jobs program, but we must also keep in mind that these programs have to include work experience that provides the skills young people need to take on the jobs of the future.

FinanceCommittees of the HouseRoutine Proceedings

4:40 p.m.

NDP

Alain Giguère NDP Marc-Aurèle-Fortin, QC

Mr. Speaker, I really appreciate the hon. member's answer.

The only problem is that he forgot to answer one thing: will the budget for the Canada summer jobs program increase? It is very simple.