Mr. Speaker, I disagree with the member. I believe that the government has invested, and we do not say that the only jobs out there and available for young people are if they get university degrees. With regard to technical institutes, I think of everywhere from Red River College Polytech, which does outstanding work, to the University of Manitoba, which also does outstanding work. Quite frankly, there are other forms of apprenticeship programs that are offered through trade unions and others, all of which the government supports, if not directly, then indirectly, through anything from transfer payments to direct cash in support of things like apprenticeship programs with a special focus on young people.
A good example, in terms of the contrast between the Liberals and the Conservatives, would be the Canada summer jobs program. Back in the day, when Stephen Harper was the prime minister, the Conservatives cut that program significantly, but if we take a look, we can see that the Canada summer jobs program is one of the ways in which young people can get the type of work that could see them ultimately develop a career.
At the end of the day, we can take a look at the overall numbers in terms of jobs. My friend was talking about looking forward to seeing the stats coming out tomorrow, and I, too, look forward to the stats. I think, overall, Canada is doing quite well, because we have seen an increase overall in the number of jobs created since the Prime Minister was elected. That is an important stat to recognize.
Yes, there are certain areas that cause a great deal of concern. Young people are always a concern. They were a concern when we had high youth unemployment under Stephen Harper. For individuals who are 55 plus or even 50 plus, it could be very difficult to try to find a job when they are having to retire because their company either has let them go or maybe even has closed or whatever it might be.
We recognize that there are issues that need to be looked at and given special consideration, and we see that in the budget. It is the very same budget that the member opposite, who says that he is concerned about youth unemployment, is voting against. I think he is selling the budget short by not recognizing the hundreds of millions of dollars incorporated within the budget to support things, as I say, like apprenticeship training and programs to support post-secondary institutions, not to mention equalization and transfer payments that go to provinces.
We have to recognize the role that provinces play. I had a tour of, I think it was Boeing or StandardAero, where they talked about working with Ottawa, the province and Red River College in ensuring that they are able to meet the needs of the future workforce. There is a great deal of co-operation that needs to take place, and it is taking place for anyone to see, unless, of course, they have their eyes closed.