Brad Butt

[Business of Supply, April 16th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, for a member who has been here a long time, one would think he would know the difference between a point of privilege and a point of order.

The member for Cape Breton—Canso was quoted as saying:

Temporary foreign workers are an important part of our economy....

...some of the best workers are temporary foreign workers.

On the other hand, the exact same member said:

...the temporary foreign worker program has been consistently abused as a vehicle to replace Canadian workers with foreign workers.

Which is it? Are TFWs an important part of our economy and some of the best workers, or is the program abused and a vehicle to replace Canadian workers with foreign workers?

Those of us on this side of the House believe that Canadians must always have the first opportunity at available jobs. It has never been the intent of the program to exist as an alternative to hiring Canadians.

Budget 2013 committed the government to fixing some of the problems that are in the program. We have committed to doing such things as increasing recruiting efforts, as well as the length and reach of advertising. We will also work with employers, when there are no qualified Canadians, to develop a plan to transition Canadian workers over time. We will restrict the language requirements for temporary foreign workers to official languages only.

Let me be clear. Hiring temporary foreign workers does not mean creating a pool of second-class labour. Employers cannot exploit or neglect their temporary foreign workers. They have to follow the rules, provide a safe work environment and ensure their well-being.

If not, they will find themselves banned from the temporary foreign worker program. These workers have the same rights and protections as all Canadian workers under applicable federal and provincial employment standards and laws. Foreign workers are registered with the workers compensation board, and they also receive private or public health care coverage, as any Canadian would receive.

A further reflection of our commitment to fairness and equity in the program is the fact that foreign workers must be paid the same wage as Canadian workers for doing the same work they do for an employer. Let me be clear on this point, as union leadership and opposition MPs have been intentionally misleading on it. Temporary foreign workers cannot be paid less than a Canadian. Employers must provide documentation to demonstrate that the wage being paid to a temporary foreign worker is exactly the same as that being paid to Canadian employees doing the same work in that region for the employer.

In conclusion, let me say that the government's focus is on helping Canadians find meaningful work. We are investing in Canadians so they can find better-paying jobs today. However, there are parts of the country where employers cannot find the labour or skills they need to grow their businesses.

I will not be supporting this motion today. The government is at it; our hard-working Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development is on the file. We will be bringing forward changes to strengthen the program and make sure the program works for the workers, for the employers and for all Canadians.

[Business of Supply, April 16th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, our government's priority is jobs, growth and long-term prosperity. That is why Canadians elected a strong, stable, Conservative majority government. Canadians understood that the economic leadership of the Prime Minister was key to navigating the difficult economic times we faced.

That trust paid off, and we have seen the creation of more than 900,000 net new jobs. Most are full-time jobs in the private sector, with over two-thirds being in high wage industries. This reflects the strength of Canada's economy amidst global economic uncertainty.

As good as these results are, however, our focus is still on getting Canadians back to work. While there are currently thousands of jobs across Canada going unfilled, there are still too many Canadians looking for work. We are confronted with mismatches in some regions between the existing skills of the local labour force and the skills that are required by employers for new jobs. This is leading to shortages in some occupations that are key to our competitiveness and continued economic growth.

As a member of the human resources committee, I have heard many employer and employee groups appear before the committee to discuss how we can address this growing skills gap. I have also heard this from employers and employees in the great riding of Mississauga—Streetsville.

Our committee has travelled across Canada to gather testimony. We focused on apprentices, persons with disabilities and those in rural and remote parts of the country. In every one of these studies, in every corner of the country, we have heard of the growing skills mismatch and how this is a pressing issue facing our economy.

Canada's economic action plan 2013 details the government's strategy to connect Canadians with these jobs. Through our EAP, we will equip Canadians with the skills and training they need to be hired in these quality, well-paying jobs.

We announced, as an example, the creation of the Canada jobs grant, which could provide $15,000 or more per person. This grant would shift the planning and delivery of training from government to job creators. This would directly connect Canadians who are unemployed or those looking to advance within their workplace with a job that is currently going unfilled.

We would create opportunities for apprentices by making it easier for them to get the experience they need to get to journeyperson status. We would also provide funding for 5,000 more internships for those who have recently graduated from college or university, and we would provide unprecedented support to groups that have faced barriers in the past to full labour market participation, including persons with disabilities, youth, aboriginal peoples and newcomers, so that they too can find meaningful work.

I mention these examples because I believe there is a misperception as to the intentions of the government when it comes to this program. Our government is doing everything in its power to ensure Canadians have the first crack at available jobs. We are investing in the skills of Canadians in unprecedented ways to ensure they have the qualifications to find better-paying employment.

Employers need to prove there are no Canadians available to fill a job before they can turn to foreign workers through the temporary foreign worker program. In areas of absolute and acute labour shortages, the temporary foreign worker program exists to help businesses get short-term workers to grow their businesses.

I know the opposition members appreciate the need for this program. How do I know that? At least eight NDP MPs lobbied for more TFWs in their ridings, and at least five Liberal MPs have done the same.

While we can all agree that temporary foreign workers should not displace Canadian workers, it is a little hypocritical to have the opposition members across the way vilify a program in public when in private they are demanding more from it.

On one hand, the member for Cape Breton—Canso—

[Business of Supply, April 15th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the parliamentary secretary for a clear and good response to an irresponsible motion put forward by the opposition today. I do not think the opposition understands the difference between tariffs and taxes and other revenue measures governments proceed with.

I would like to give the parliamentary secretary an opportunity to highlight some of the tariff reductions and why there are reductions in those tariffs for countries with which we have free trade agreements and fair trade agreements verses countries that have benefited from these other tariffs for many years whose situations have not changed.

[Foreign Affairs, March 5th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, two years ago tomorrow, the Assad regime arrested and brutally tortured 15 children from the Syrian city of Dara, simply for having painted graffiti calling for Assad to go. This deplorable act marked the beginning of the regime's public attack against its own children and its own people. It galvanized Syrians to take to the streets to demand the removal of the Assad regime and to demand their fundamental rights.

Would the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs please tell the House our government's reaction to this sombre date?

[Human Resources, February 28th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, our government is proud of our proven track record of helping create over 900,000 net new jobs. However, we also know that skills and labour shortages do present a significant challenge to Canada's continued competitiveness and long-term prosperity. Would the Miniser of Labour please update the House on how our government is addressing skills and training for all Canadians?

[Praise Cathedral Worship Centre, February 13th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, February is Black History Month.

It gives me great pleasure to rise today and pay tribute to the congregation of Praise Cathedral Worship Centre and its spiritual leader, Bishop Lennox Walker, in the riding of Mississauga—Streetsville.

Praise Cathedral works actively towards empowering people to make healthy life-changing and life-sustaining choices, creating an atmosphere of praise and worship, love and unity to the winning of souls for the Kingdom of God. Since May 2005, the cathedral on Millcreek Drive has been a welcoming and shining example of the best in all of our people. I was honoured to co-present a Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal to Bishop Walker recently, something that he acknowledged was an award for all the members of the church.

During Black History Month, let us all celebrate the tremendous contribution that Praise Cathedral and all Black Canadians have made to our great country.

[New Democratic Party of Canada, February 11th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, it has been months and the NDP has yet to explain the $21 billion carbon tax found on page 4 of its platform. This tax would raise the price on everything that Canadian families in Mississauga—Streetsville pay for, including gas, groceries and electricity.

Our government has a low tax plan for jobs and growth across the country, a plan Canadians support. In fact, thanks to our government's efforts a Canadian family of four now keeps over $3,000 more of its money in its own pockets.

Why does the NDP leader and his party want Canadians to pay billions for his risky economic policies?

[New Democratic Party of Canada, February 4th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, Canadians from coast to coast to coast tuned in to watch one of the biggest sporting events in the world, the Super Bowl.

Just after halftime, the lights went out. The world's biggest sporting event came to a standstill. It was a clear reminder of how important energy is to our society. This is even more true in a northern country such as Canada.

Unfortunately, the NDP's $20 billion carbon tax plan will cause its own power outages across the country as Canadians struggle to deal with the increased cost of electricity.

On this side of the House, we understand that Canadians cannot afford a massive new NDP carbon tax on electricity. That is why we will continue to oppose the NDP's $20 billion carbon tax on everything.

[Volunteerism, December 5th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise in the House on International Volunteer Day. We are celebrating the invaluable work and countless hours of contributions made by volunteers in Canada.

Our government is proud to stand up and recognize the hard work volunteers do, especially around the holiday season for those less fortunate. Close to 12.5 million Canadians volunteer their time to charitable and not-for-profit organizations. This equals a contribution of over two billion hours annually, the equivalent of more than one million full-time jobs. It is a spirit founded on values that our Conservative government shares. We believe that volunteers play an enormously important role in our collective responsibility for better communities.

We are proud to work with organizations across Canada to support volunteerism. It is why we continue to invest in projects that connect individuals with volunteer opportunities and in our tax credit for volunteer firefighters.

[Points of Order, December 3rd, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. After question period, the member for Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing raised a concern about a gesture that she believes I did or did not do in the House during question period. That is the case and if she or others were offended, I apologize to all members of the House.