House of Commons photoWon her last election, in 2015, with 47% of the vote.
Human Resources and Skills Development Canada January 31st, 2013
Mr. Speaker, the minister was very clear yesterday, and I will be clear today. There has been no fraudulent use of this information.
I will emphasize again that the government takes extremely seriously the privacy of Canadians and the loss by the department of this information is completely unacceptable. The minister has taken action. We will continue to do so. The privacy commissioner is investigating this. The loss by the department is completely unacceptable.
Human Resources and Skills Development Canada January 31st, 2013
Mr. Speaker, the government takes the privacy of Canadians extremely seriously. This loss by the department is completely unacceptable. The Office of the Privacy Commissioner has been notified and an investigation is ongoing to safeguard against future incidents. The Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development has taken significant action and will continue to do so.
Once again, I will emphasize that the government takes this very seriously and the loss by the department is completely unacceptable.
Employment Insurance January 31st, 2013
Mr. Speaker, our government is making common sense changes to better connect Canadians with available jobs in their local areas that match their skills. In fact, in my riding of Simcoe—Grey, which has many seasonal workers, they are delighted with these changes because it means that there are opportunities for people to stay in their local area, utilizing their local skills and staying close to their families.
These initiatives are clarifying, not changing, the responsibilities of Canadians who are collecting EI. For those who are unable to find employment, employment insurance will continue to be there for them, as it always has been.
Employment January 31st, 2013
Mr. Speaker, unlike the NDP the government has taken action. The government is focused on making sure that young Canadians have opportunities, whether through the Canada student jobs program that created 36,000 new jobs for young Canadians or the 50,000 new permanent jobs for these young Canadians. We are taking action. We are focused. We ask the NDP to join us to make sure that those young Canadians have opportunities.
Employment January 31st, 2013
Mr. Speaker, the government has taken action to make sure that youth have opportunities across the entire country. With the youth employment strategy we have created over 50,000 new jobs for young Canadians. In budget 2012, huge investments were made to make sure that young Canadians have opportunities to develop skills and contribute to the economy. Unlike the NDP, we are taking action to make sure that young Canadians have opportunities.
Youth Unemployment January 31st, 2013
Mr. Speaker, it seems as though the leader of the NDP has some trouble remembering events of the past. Yesterday he stood in this House to talk about youth unemployment. However, he conveniently forgot to mention all the important measures he and his party have voted against to help young Canadians find employment. He omitted the fact that Canada has one of the lowest youth unemployment rates in the G7.
I will say if the NDP leader and his party are so worried about jobs for youth, then why did he stand up and vote against the youth employment strategy, which has helped more than 50,000 youth receive training, or the Canada summer jobs program, which helps more than 36,000 young Canadians find jobs every year?
Our government is doing more than just talking; we are taking action. I can assure members that the youth in my riding of Simcoe—Grey truly appreciate being equipped with the tools they need to find gainful employment. Unfortunately, the NDP members do not seem to want to support this, and neither does their leader.
Food Safety January 28th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, let us be very clear. The facts speak for themselves. The Liberals voted against these initiatives. I encourage the member to review my last response that answers his questions with respect to what inspectors do and what we are doing to support them in their jobs.
Our Conservative government has made a number of important investments in the past few years to ensure the CFIA has the resources it needs to keep Canada's food supply safe. In addition to increasing funding, our government has fulfilled all of the Weatherill recommendations to enhance Canada's food safety system, including the Safe Food for Canadians Act just before Christmas.
Today, organizations responsible for food safety and public health are better equipped to work together to prevent, detect and respond to food safety risks and Canadians are better informed about the steps they can take to protect themselves.
Canada's food safety system is one of the best in the world. Our government is committed to ensuring that Canada's food safety system continues to provide consumers the protection they expect and deserve, unlike the Liberals, who like to vote against every initiative we take to support CFIA.
Food Safety January 28th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, when it comes to food safety, our government's top priority is the health and safety of Canadians. That is why the Food Inspection Agency directs its available resources to specific priority areas such as food safety and front-line inspection.
Since March 2006, the agency's field inspection staff has increased by more than 700, an increase of approximately 25%. The opposition members conveniently and repeatedly ignore this stat.
I stress that how inspection is done is just as important as how many inspectors are doing the work. That is why in budget 2011, the budget that the Liberal Party voted against, our government provided the CFIA with over $100 million over five years to modernize food safety inspection in Canada. The agency is using the investment to do a number of things: update its inspection approach based on common inspection activities and standard procedures; deliver better training to inspectors; expand the use of science to help refocus resources on high-risk areas; implement Health Canada's revised listeria policy; build a secure electronic interface so CFIA can share information more effectively with stakeholders; and provide better, more modern tools for front-line inspectors.
As the CFIA continues to modernize its inspection approaches, it will ensure there continues to be enough inspection staff to protect the health and safety of Canadians.
In the last four federal budgets, our Conservative government has invested significantly in our food safety system. The opposition always votes against these investments. In addition to budget 2011, in budget 2012 we provided $51 million over two years to CFIA, the Public Health Agency of Canada and Health Canada to continue key food safety activities. The recent budget is strengthening, not weakening, our government's commitment to the health and safety of Canadians.
The CFIA has not and will not reduce staff or cut programs that would put the health and safety of Canadians at risk. Indeed, our government is supporting the CFIA's drive toward modernization and will allow the agency to focus its resources where they are needed the most.
If the Liberals really cared about food safety for Canadians, they would have supported the millions of dollars this government invested in budget after budget to ensure that Canadians would have safe food on their tables. The Liberals continue to vote against these initiatives to ensure CFIA has the strength and the focus to ensure we have the health and safety of Canadians put first.
Employment Insurance January 28th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to respond to the member of Parliament for Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles. Job creation, economic growth and long-term prosperity remain the focus of this government.
Our economic prosperity, however, depends on our ability to meet emerging and growing labour market challenges. It depends on our competitiveness and our flexibility.
We need to strengthen work incentives so Canadians are better served by working.
Connecting Canadians to available jobs in their local area is vital to supporting our long-term economic growth and productivity, as well as the quality of life for all Canadians.
These changes are about empowering unemployed workers, helping them get back into the workforce and focusing resources where they are needed most. That is what Canadians elected us to do and what the NDP has voted against time and time again. We are here to support Canadian workers and make sure they are better connected to Canadian jobs.
Employment Insurance January 28th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, it is the beginning of a new year and I am pleased to be here again and to respond to the member's comments on the subject of employment insurance.
Between July 2009 and March 2012 more than 920,000 net new jobs were created in Canada, resulting in the strongest employment growth among G7 countries.
We know that Canadians want to work, but they often face challenges when they are looking for a job.
What are we going to do to help unemployed Canadians find jobs? We are investing significant funds over the next two years to connect unemployed Canadians with available jobs. We are making it easier for Canadians who are out of work to identify new opportunities in their local communities. One way we are doing this is by sending out enhanced job alerts to Canadians receiving employment insurance regular benefits. These alerts are providing information about job opportunities within the claimant's local area that are within the claimant's occupation and related occupations.
The second part of our plan is to link the temporary foreign workers program with the EI program, helping to ensure Canadian workers are always considered before foreign workers.
We have also defined what is meant by suitable employment and what constitutes a reasonable job search.
We believe that the proposed definition is fair because it takes into account an individual's personal circumstances, working conditions, hours of work and travel time, which would apply as long as benefits are being paid.
We have also adjusted the working while on claim pilot to better encourage Canadians to accept all available work. We will do this by cutting the current clawback rate in half and applying it to all earnings made while on claim.
We will invest significant funds over two years to implement a new permanent national approach to better align the calculation of EI benefit amounts with local labour market conditions, making sure the program is fair for everyone.
It is important to remember that despite all of the opposition's claims, EI will continue to be there for those who need it as it always has been. EI is an important program in Canada and will continue to be. These improvements will introduce new needed common sense efforts to help better connect unemployed Canadians with available jobs.