House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2011, with 45% of the vote.
Employment Insurance February 4th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, this government has brought forward some common sense changes to employment insurance to ensure that the program will be there for those people who are in genuine need.
HRSDC was able to stop $530 million in ineligible payments last year alone. However, the employment insurance program still lost hundreds of millions of dollars due to fraud. This government will take reasonable measures to ensure no one steals from unemployed Canadians.
Employment Insurance February 4th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, my friend from the NDP has it all wrong. The minister made no such statements. He is flat-out wrong.
Our goal is to put people into jobs in the areas where jobs are available. If there are no jobs in a particular area, EI will continue to be there for Canadians. We have made some important changes to try to ensure that every Canadian can move from employment insurance into a job with the pride of independence and the dignity of employment. That is why our economic action plan has created 900,000 net new jobs and why we remain focused on economic growth and job creation.
Foreign Affairs February 1st, 2013
Mr. Speaker, last month, 50 countries did call for Assad to face justice at the International Criminal Court.
I am pleased that they join me, because I did it six months ago when I said, “What Assad needs to be facing is the International Criminal Court to face charges for committing crimes against humanity”. I did that on July 6, 2012.
Aboriginal Affairs February 1st, 2013
Mr. Speaker, this government has a strong record when it comes to supporting aboriginal Canadians. We have helped fund over 100,000 first nation students. We are consulting with first nations on a first nation education act. We have built or renovated 260 schools on reserve in this country. We are focused on improving the lives of aboriginal Canadians, and just as important, on improving accountability and transparency. However, the Liberal Party has not supported our efforts in that regard.
Employment February 1st, 2013
Mr. Speaker, I can confirm to all members of the House and to all Canadians that job creation and economic growth for every single Canadian looking for a job will continue to be the centrepiece of this government's economic strategy.
When it comes to young people, we have one of the lowest youth unemployment rates in the G7. If we look at some countries in Europe, they have staggering youth unemployment numbers. As long as there is a single young person in Canada looking for work, this government will remain focused on ensuring that they have the dignity of a job and the pride of independence.
Employment February 1st, 2013
Mr. Speaker, this government has brought forward a comprehensive job strategy to help all Canadians move back into the labour force. The good news is that more than 900,000 Canadians have found work since the bottom of the recession.
Statistics Canada released economic growth numbers for November and the economy grew well in November, but there is still much work to be done. We are going to build on initiatives that we have made such as the youth employment strategy, which has helped 50,000 students; a permanent increase to Canada's summer job program, which helped 36,000 students; the pathways to education program, which helped 10,000. However, every single time we stood up to help young people, the Liberal Party voted against these important measures.
Employment Insurance February 1st, 2013
Mr. Speaker, I have a great deal of respect for the member for Vancouver East. I do not have a lot of respect for that question and the way she put it.
We are making reforms to employment insurance to help more Canadians move from employment insurance back into the labour force so they can provide for themselves and their families the dignity of a job. We provided substantial supports in that regard. There are no quotas; the member opposite is completely wrong. The only people who lose if the opposition stops us from rooting out EI fraud are the hard-working Canadians who are paying the price.
Employment Insurance February 1st, 2013
Mr. Speaker, it will not come as any surprise to members that I totally reject the premise of that question.
We have made a number of reforms to employment insurance to ensure we provide people with the skills and supports they need to move into the labour force. That is something that is tremendously important. HRSDC was able to stop $530 million in ineligible payments last year. However, the employment insurance program still lost millions of dollars due to fraud. We have an important responsibility to the workers who paid the premiums to ensure that their taxpayer dollars are used with great respect and responsibility.
The Economy February 1st, 2013
Mr. Speaker, there is no doubt that there are many Canadians looking for work, but there are a lot less than there were just a few short months ago. We have seen 900,000 net new jobs created. That is a very good start, but it is why our party and our government are committed to doing even more to create jobs, hope and opportunity.
We saw in the November economic growth rates a substantial increase in economic growth. We remain committed and focused on even more, so that every Canadian will have the dignity of a job and the pride of being independent.
Foreign Affairs January 30th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, obviously all Canadians, this government and all members of the House remain gravely concerned about the situation in Syria and the ever growing potential of the violence spilling into the neighbouring countries. That is why today the Government of Canada has announced that significant additional humanitarian assistance to provide food, water, housing and safety for people inside Syria and in the neighbouring countries will be provided to assist them in their time of need.
Our government has and will continue to support the efforts of the international community to bring about an end to this violence. We stand by the people of Syria in their time of need.