Kellie Leitch

[Committees of the House, May 21st, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to address this concurrence motion on the report of the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities, entitled “Labour and Skills Shortages in Canada: Addressing Current and Future Challenges”.

This report is—

[Government Advertising, May 21st, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, the government has a responsibility to inform Canadians about the programs and benefits available to them.

For example, this year, the government is implementing new measures to help Canadians, including the new Canada job grant, in order to help Canadians get training so they can find a job or find a better job.

The government is promoting these measures because it wants Canadians to take advantage of them.

[Government Advertising, May 21st, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, I think I have been relatively clear already today. We are about creating jobs and making sure Canadians have the skills they need to fill those jobs that are available. We are providing an opportunity for employers to be linked to those employees, and that is exactly what we are doing. We are making sure Canadians know about the skills opportunities that are available to them. We are making sure employers know this grant is available to them as well.

I encourage the opposition to get on board and make sure Canadians receive the skills they need so they can fill those jobs and we can grow our economy, because if they do not get on board, I guess we will just have to do it ourselves.

[Employment Insurance, May 21st, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, my question for the member opposite is: Why will they not get on top of promoting opportunities for individuals to have jobs? That is exactly what this is doing. We have put forward opportunities for Canadians to have jobs or gain the skills so they can be employed in what is available. The opposition members continue to vote against these things, whether it was the budget, economic action plan 2012, or in their case, already stating that they will be voting against economic action plan 2013.

Bad on you. We want to support Canadians getting jobs. I wonder why the opposition will not get on board.

[Employment Insurance, May 21st, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, we have put forward reforms to employment insurance to better connect Canadians with available jobs, and this is something we have been focused on like a laser, as a certain minister has said in the past, to make sure Canadians have opportunities. Let us be very clear. The reforms to employment insurance, making sure we move forward with the Canada jobs grant, the 5,000 new internships that are available to young Canadians, making sure we increase the enabling accessibility fund so that individuals with disabilities have opportunities to be employed; these are all things we are doing to better connect Canadians with jobs so they can be prosperous in the future, unlike the opposition.

[Government Advertising, May 21st, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, we want to ensure that, moving forward, the provinces have an opportunity to negotiate with us and to put in the hands of employers and employees the opportunity to train.

We know we have skills mismatches across the country. We know Canadians need opportunities to be trained. Our initiative is to help employers be matched with employees. I was in B.C. just this last week. They were talking about how people were walking in asking for this opportunity, because we want to link Canadians with jobs.

That is what we are about. We are focused on the economy and creating jobs for Canadians, unlike the opposition.

[Questions Passed as Orders for Returns, May 10th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, I ask that the remaining questions be allowed to stand.

[Questions Passed as Orders for Returns, May 10th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, if Questions Nos. 1260, 1263, 1264, 1265, 1273 and 1290 could be made orders for return, these returns would be tabled immediately.

[Questions on the Order Paper, May 10th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, the following questions will be answered today: Nos. 1268, 1269, 1270, 1271, 1276, 1280 and 1281.

[Government Response to Petitions, May 10th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's response to a petition.