Mr. Speaker, poverty, in a country as rich as Canada, is very disturbing for this government and for all Canadians. Unquestionably, we should not tolerate even one Canadian living in poverty.
As members of the House well know, poverty is and continues to be a major preoccupation of our government. We are particularly aware of the importance of addressing child poverty, recognizing that giving children in Canada a good start in life is one of the most important investments Canada can make for its future.
I assure the hon. member for Shefford that we are working aggressively to achieve this goal. I remind the House that as of last July we began to invest $850 million per year into the national child benefit. These new funds are over and above the $5.1 billion we already invest in families with children. By July of the year 2000 that additional investment will reach $1.7 billion per year into the national child benefit. That more than compensates for inflation.
We will clearly need to sustain and enhance the benefit over a number of years, something we have committed to do. We do not pretend that this first phase of the program will solve child poverty. Nor do we suggest that a single program can be expected to reduce poverty on its own.
As part of our comprehensive plan to fight poverty we have provided a range of supports to low income families such as the family income supplement for roughly 200,000 low income parents on unemployment insurance and increased deductions for child care. We have also strengthened the community action program for children as well as the Canadian prenatal nutrition program for children at risk.
No one on this side of the Chamber would disagree that there is still much more to be done. However, my hon. colleague must not overlook the government's track record in endowing the country's children with a legacy of greater opportunity.
Neither can the opposition ignore the fact that money is not the entire answer. The fact is the share of government transfer payments to Canadians such as child tax benefits, goods and services tax credits and old age pensions has doubled over the past quarter century. In 1995 these transfers contributed 14 cents of every dollar of income compared with 11 cents in 1990 and less than 7 cents in 1970.
While my hon. colleague's motion is undeniably well intended, it is highly doubtful that simply raising the tax threshold would make a meaningful difference in the war against poverty. Poverty is a deeply entrenched and complex challenge that defies easy solutions. It will take not only money but time and a lot of hard work on the part of all Canadians to turn this situation around. There is no magic formula, but we can work to provide more opportunities by creating the right conditions to fight poverty through a strong labour market.
The reality is that reducing poverty ultimately depends on putting underemployed and unemployed Canadians to work. That has more to do with the individual's age, skills, experience and personal motivation than it does with tax brackets.
Very obviously addressing these difficult issues extends beyond the purview of the finance department or any one level of government. Alleviating poverty requires the concerted efforts of federal and provincial governments along with the co-operation and support of the private and voluntary sectors as well as individual Canadians themselves.
I am pleased to see that the opposition motion acknowledges the need to foster self-sufficiency and self-reliance. Canadians have always striven to maintain a successful balance between taking responsibility for themselves and sharing responsibility for others.
We believe strongly in compassion and fairness as we value individual independence and achievement. This philosophy is reflected in many of the initiatives our government has brought forward aimed at addressing the root causes of poverty and empowering people to help themselves. We have focused much of our efforts on equipping Canadians with the skills and knowledge that they need to succeed in a changing working world because Canada's economic prospects and the eventual elimination of poverty increasingly depend on a highly trained and highly educated workforce.
Anyone doubting this fundamental fact of life in the new economy need only look at the employment numbers. Since 1981 jobs for Canadians with a high school education or less dropped by two million while jobs demanding higher qualifications grew by more than five million.
Clearly Canadians with more education have better job prospects, greater job security and higher earnings. Just as clearly this is key to narrowing the gap between the haves and the have nots. That is why the government introduced the youth employment strategy which helps young people make the transition from school to work, especially those youth at risk.
There are active employment measures under employment insurance which provide opportunities for skills upgrading, wage subsidies and job creation partnerships, financial assistance to those who want to go back to school and self-employment assistance.
Canada jobs funds create sustainable jobs in areas of high unemployment.
The employment assistance for persons with disabilities initiative, a federal-provincial partnership introduced last year, is helping increase the participation of Canadians with disabilities in the workforce.
The aboriginal action plan is to ensure the integration and the equality of aboriginal people in the economy and all sectors of society.
The Canadian opportunities strategy helps Canadians upgrade their skills and knowledge whether they are still in school or already in the workforce to improve their prospects for employment.
The overriding objective of all these initiatives is to help ensure that Canadians, especially those at greatest risk of exclusion, have better and more opportunity to participate in the demanding new economy and to share in its benefits. The evidence to date indicates that this strategy is working. Unemployment is now at the lowest rate since 1990. Since we took office 1.6 million new jobs have been created, 449,000 last year alone. Of those 449,000 new jobs, 143,000 went to young Canadians and some 299,000 women found work in 1998, the majority in full time jobs.
Tinkering with tax brackets as the opposition proposes will not result in numbers like these. Ensuring more Canadians receive the supports they need to help themselves to better jobs and better futures will.
I believe the hon. member for Shefford is truly committed to bridging the divide between rich and poor. I encourage her to work with the government to help us as we prepare young children to get off to a good start in life and as we prepare Canadians for the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century economy. I am convinced that together we stand a much better chance of helping all Canadians shake off the shackles of poverty.
