Pierre Pettigrew

[Student Loans And Grants Program, February 6th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, I welcome this opportunity the hon. member is giving me to remind the House of the major contribution the Government of Canada has been making since 1961 to Quebec's student loans and grants program. Indeed, Quebec's student loans and grants program is funded to a large extent by the federal government, and we are very happy with this. This, of course, is what a vibrant and dynamic federation is all about.

The hon. member may rest assured that the Government of Quebec will definitely get its share of any improvements to Canada's student loans and grants program for the country as a whole. Improvements to the Canadian program will be reflected in Canada's contribution to its Quebec equivalent.

[Youth Employment, February 6th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the NDP member for his very interesting question. I am glad to see that some people in this House are interested in youth unemployment. It has not been raised by the other parties. This is a very important situation and as a government we are very concerned about it.

The first reports I have on the youth employment strategy are quite good. Eighty-five per cent of youth who have participated in our youth employment strategy have obtained a full time job within a year after leaving our internship program and service Canada program. They are working and 85% have had good results. However we need to do more. As much as we can, we will be doing more because that is the most important element we have to face in the labour market now.

[Youth Employment, February 6th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, I want to tell the hon. member that I was very disappointed with the numbers we had this morning on youth unemployment, but we have made progress on most of the unemployment across the country. He is quite right that the last month has not been very good on the youth employment front.

We as a government were disappointed to see that this morning. This has been a one month recul but it has not been that bad. Over the last few months we have had substantial progress. We were able to lower the rate down to 15.8% with hard work and with the youth employment strategy which I think is working out quite well. However, one month is not a trend.

[Tuition Fees, February 5th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Finance and I have spent a lot of time with the student associations in the last few weeks and months.

We began to address this situation in the 1997 budget. The 1998 budget might contain some important elements.

It is interesting to see that the Conservative leader has rejected the millennium fund as not helping hundreds and thousands of students, without even seeing it. In addition to the millennium fund, we are going to address the structure of the Canada student loans program. We are investigating several options that will reflect student needs in this country.

[Tuition Fees, February 5th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the Conservative leader for his question.

I also met with representatives of the students' associations yesterday. We have been working in close co-operation with these associations since November, and we had a very successful workshop with the banks.

My colleague, the Minister of Finance, also met these representatives yesterday afternoon. I can assure you that, following the measures already announced in the 1997 budget, which include better repayment schedules, we are now considering a number of options, because we are perfectly aware of the difficult situation in which students currently find themselves. We want to encourage students and help them stay in school and in university for as long as possible.

[Student Loans, February 4th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Winnipeg South and all the members of the standing committee for their hard work. I know they have met with representatives of the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations. I had lunch with them today. They have made a very valuable contribution to the options we are considering now in order to improve our Canada student loans program. The prime minister's millennium fund will also help thousands of young Canadians pursue post-secondary education.

We hope to announce more details on these and other measures in the coming weeks as we follow up on our youth employment strategy.

[Ice Storm, February 3rd, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, I had the opportunity to speak with a great number of MPs in the Liberal caucus. I spoke with several members of the Bloc Quebecois and with all the Conservative MPs who asked to speak with me. I was extremely available.

The Department of Human Resources Development did an exceptional job on the ground and I can say that I would still be very pleased to meet with all members. But confusion must not be spread about the issue of qualifying period. We were able to put cheques directly into the hands of the unemployed in affected regions two weeks ahead of time.

[Ice Storm, February 2nd, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, it is important to realize and to recognize that the moneys from the employment insurance fund are there primarily to help the unemployed join the labour market. However, this $45 million includes another $5 million to be spent through the Youth Employment Strategy, under which one does not have to be an employment insurance claimant to be eligible.

The hon. member referred to the possibility of a shortage. We will cross that bridge when we get to it. Meanwhile, I can assure you that the $45 million fund is a very important tool of assistance regarding which we should be congratulated, instead of being asked such questions.

[Ice Storm, February 2nd, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to see the interest shown by hon. members in the initiatives taken by us during the crisis, with all the means available to the Department of Human Resources Development.

Let me say that maple syrup producers were among those we particularly had in mind when we were looking for ways to quickly provide assistance and budgets, precisely so they would not lose very important investments. These producers are among those who have already started signing partnership agreements with us.

Some are already receiving money out of the $45 million fund allocated for those affected by the ice storm.

[Ice Storm, February 2nd, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, I think it important to relax some of the criteria. In certain cases, I believe it will be possible to buy certain kinds of equipment.

It is obvious that these measures are directed primarily at job creation. We are in the process of looking at certain adjustments that could be made in this regard.

I am also counting on the Bloc Quebecois to help us relax certain attitudes so that municipalities can come and work with us to set up programs that will be very useful to all municipalities with significant needs.