Madam Speaker, I must come back to a question that I asked on October 26 about young students who worked at various federal departments during the summer as part of the Canada summer jobs program. Because of the Phoenix pay system, as of October 26 those students still had not been paid. I asked the Minister of Public Services and Procurement when she thought those students would be paid and how many of them were still unpaid. I did not get an answer to my question other than that the Liberals would try to meet the October 31 deadline. We finally learned that they were behind schedule.
I want to remind the Liberals that not receiving one's regular salary is an unacceptable violation of Canada Labour Code rights. The minister promised that the Phoenix pay system backlog would be cleared by October 31, which obviously did not happen.
The Miramichi pay centre raised serious concerns about the Phoenix system that went completely ignored. Last Wednesday, there were still 18,000 cases to be settled. Over all the cases, there is still a delay in expense reimbursements in 200,000 cases. I am talking about accommodation, meals, and travel expenses. This is the equivalent of two months' work on the backlog. That is a lot.
The Minister of Public Services and Procurement was to appear before the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates, but she changed her mind at the last minute. We hope that she will be able to appear before the committee to provide pertinent information about the situation and real answers about the progress made on managing this problem.
Above all, people want to know when this problem will be solved. What is the minister's deadline for ensuring that all government employees, including students, are compensated fairly?
Students have to deal with many problems every day. In fact, since 1990, the adjusted national average for tuition fees has increased by more than 155%. In Ontario, tuition fees have increased by more than 180%. The average debt for a graduate is $28,000.
According to a survey of 4,500 university students conducted by the Meal Exchange charity, almost 40% of students experience some degree of food insecurity. A further indication of the precarious situation of students is that since 2012 more and more of them have been turning to food banks.
This is cause for much concern. The Liberal government says that it takes the situation of youth seriously, that young people are our future, and that we have to establish the right conditions in order for youth to thrive. However, the government is unable to lead by example and provide youth with adequate compensation.
I would like to know when the minister will fix the situation and how many young people are still not being paid by the current government.