Debates of May 14th, 2014

Fisheries and Oceans

[Randy Kamp, Conservative, Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge—Mission, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I can say is that it is true that under exceptional circumstances DFO has provided financial assistance to offset the effect of severe ice conditions. It is too soon to know whether this is one of those years. Ice conditions can and do change dramatically over a short period of time. Given the unpredictability of ice conditions, we are monitoring this situation very closely.

[The Deputy Speaker, NDP, Joe Comartin]

Pursuant to Standing Order 81(4), the motion to adjourn the House is deemed to have been withdrawn and the House will now resolve itself into committee of the whole for the purpose of considering all votes under Finance in the main estimates for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2015.

I do now leave the chair for the House to go into committee of the whole.

(House in committee of the whole for consideration of all votes under Finance in the Main Estimates, Mr. Joe Comartin in the chair)

Finance—Main Estimates 2014-15

[The Chair, NDP, Joe Comartin]

Tonight's debate is a general one on all of the votes related to Finance. Each member will be allocated 15 minutes. The first round will begin with the official opposition, followed by the government and then the Liberal Party. After that, we will follow the usual proportional rotation for the House.

As provided in the order adopted earlier today, parties may use each 15-minute slot for speeches or for questions and answers by one or more of their members. In the case of speeches, members of the party to which the period is allotted may speak one after the other. The Chair would appreciate it if the first member speaking in each slot would indicate how the time will be used, particularly if it is to be shared.

When the time is to be used for questions and answers, the Chair will expect that the minister's response will reflect approximately the time taken by the question. Members need not be in their own seats to be recognized.

I also wish to indicate that in committee of the whole, all remarks should be addressed through the Chair, and I ask for everyone's co-operation in upholding the standards of parliamentary language and behaviour.

Finally, I would remind hon. members that according to the order adopted earlier today, during this evening's debate no quorum calls, dilatory motions, or requests for unanimous consent shall be received by the Chair.

We may now begin tonight's session.

On debate, the hon. member for Skeena—Bulkley Valley.

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Mr. Chair, I will start with this question for the minister. What was the amount of the elapsed funding for the Department of Finance for 2012-13?

[Joe Oliver, Conservative, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Chair, first let me thank the hon. member opposite for inviting me. This is the second time in a row. Apparently I am more popular with the NDP caucus than I realized.

In the Finance budget, the main estimates are $120 million; $115 million are operating. About 5% of the budget was reduced.

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Mr. Chair, I thank the minister. Can you tell us what the elapsed funding will be for this year, having just completed it?

[The Chair, NDP, Joe Comartin]

I remind the member for Skeena—Bulkley Valley to address comments and questions to the Chair, not directly to the minister.

The hon. Minister of Finance.

[Joe Oliver, Conservative, Eglinton—Lawrence, ON]

Mr. Chair, that information is not currently available.

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Mr. Chair, if the minister can tell us, taking the second quarter of 2008 as the baseline, what is the change in the number of the unemployed in Canada?

[Joe Oliver, Conservative, Eglinton—Lawrence, ON]

Mr. Chair, the unemployment rate in Canada now is 6.9%. It was 7% until fairly recently. The number of unemployed is 1.3 million as of April of this year.

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Mr. Chair, the question was what the change is in the number of unemployed in Canada. I will ask it again.

What is the change in the number of unemployed in Canada from the second quarter of 2008 to the present day?

[Joe Oliver, Conservative, Eglinton—Lawrence, ON]

Mr. Chair, the increase in employment is over a million people from 2008 until the present time.

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Mr. Chair, I need to clarify the question for the minister again.

What is the change in the number of unemployed from the second quarter of 2008, prior to the recession, to the present day?

[Joe Oliver, Conservative, Eglinton—Lawrence, ON]

Mr. Chair, I do not have that specific number, but we can get it for the hon. member.

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Mr. Chair, right now there are more than 200,000 more unemployed Canadians than there were in 2008, as of today.

Major economists believe that the change in the unemployment rate is a more accurate indicator of the economy's strength than net new jobs. What was the unemployment rate in the second quarter of 2008, before the global recession?

[Joe Oliver, Conservative, Eglinton—Lawrence, ON]

Mr. Chair, I do not have that number. I will be able to get it. There are a variety of numbers. I know the current numbers.

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Mr. Chair, what was the employment rate at the end of 2013, a more current number?

[Joe Oliver, Conservative, Eglinton—Lawrence, ON]

Mr. Chair, at the time it was 7%. It is now down to 6.9%.

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Mr. Chair, I am asking for the employment rate. I was asking both for 2009 and prior to the recession, but what is the employment rate now, as of 2013?

[Joe Oliver, Conservative, Eglinton—Lawrence, ON]

Mr. Chair, the total number of employed people in Canada as of April was 17.8 million people.

There were over a million jobs created in the economy: full time, 87%; high-wage industry, 64%; private sector, 83%.

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Mr. Chair, there seems to be confusion here, perhaps with our terminology.

What was the employment rate at the end of 2013?

[Joe Oliver, Conservative, Eglinton—Lawrence, ON]

Mr. Chair, there are a variety of numbers, and we can get those numbers. I am not sure what the member opposite is driving at. He apparently has some numbers that he wants me to put on the record. He can put them on the record himself.

The point is that there are over one million net new jobs created in Canada since the depths of the recession. We have had one of the strongest growth rates in the G7.

The employment-to-population ratio is 72.3%. Perhaps that is the number that the member wants to put on the record.

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Mr. Chair, that is the one. The employment rate before the recession was 73.7%.

How does this current employment rate rank us in the G7?

[Joe Oliver, Conservative, Eglinton—Lawrence, ON]

Mr. Chair, as we have said repeatedly, we have one of the best records of employment creation since the depths of the recession, with well over one million net new jobs.