House of Commons photoWon her last election, in 2011, with 54% of the vote.
Government Programs November 24th, 2006
Mr. Speaker, the former government used that summer job program to provide wage subsidies for the largest corporations in the world. At the same time, it put money into the hottest labour markets.
We are going to stop subsidizing big business and stop putting money into the red hot labour markets. We are going to refocus money where jobs are harder to find by spending $45 million per year to help students who are having difficulty finding work.
Vanier Cup November 23rd, 2006
Mr. Speaker, this Saturday, November 25, at Saskatoon's Griffiths Stadium, the University of Saskatchewan Huskies will go head to head with the University of Laval for the coveted Vanier championship.
By keeping their eye on the ball, the Huskies have made their way to the top of Canadian university football, one victory at a time. Through teamwork and a tight defensive game, the Huskies have advanced to the finals once again.
I congratulate PotashCorp and its president and CEO, Bill Doyle, as well as the University of Saskatchewan and its president, Peter MacKinnon, for their commitment and leadership in bringing the cup to Saskatoon. They had a vision, just as a quarterback sees the winning play before he throws the ball.
The excitement is building. It is the first time the Vanier Cup has been played outside of the province of Ontario. It is a fitting tribute to Saskatoon's centennial year and will kick off next year's University of Saskatchewan's centennial.
I also thank Paula Cook-Dinan from McGill University's women in the house program for bringing the same enthusiasm to my office this week that will enable the Huskies to win the Vanier Cup this weekend.
Go Huskies, go.
Mr. Speaker, let me assure the member that Canada's new government is and will continue to be committed to literacy.
In addition, I would like to clarify that all existing commitments will be honoured. Projects currently receiving funding for literacy programming have not been cut. What is more, all eligible organizations may continue to apply for funding in future calls for proposals, with each project being assessed on merit and against the program eligibility criteria.
What is more, beyond the adult learning, literacy and essential skills program, Canada's new government continues to support projects designed to improve the essential skills of Canadians entering into or already in the labour market through existing HRSDC programs and through other departments, such as Citizenship and Immigration, and Industry Canada.
Mr. Speaker, as we debate literacy tonight, it is a very important topic for me. I have two important things to say tonight. First, I would like to mention a little girl, with whom I spent time reading bedtime stories when she was little, who is celebrating her 23rd birthday. She is a high school teacher in Saskatoon. I would like to wish my daughter, Elaina, a happy 23rd birthday.
I would like to reassure the House that Canada's new government is and will continue to be committed to literacy. We recognize that literacy is an important component of building an educated and skilled workforce and, as a result, key in ensuring Canada's future competitiveness.
However, we also recognize that simply throwing hard-earned taxpayer money at a problem will not solve it. I believe the member for Victoria, who recently spoke of the government's obligation to review its spending periodically and to be prudent with public dollars, would concur with such a statement. Moreover, I also hope she would agree that judging a government's commitment to an issue based solely on dollar figures spent without respect for results achieved is disrespectful of Canadian taxpayers and especially those individuals such government spending is intended to assist.
In budget 2006, we committed to reviewing our programs so that every taxpayer dollar achieves results, provides value for money and meets the needs of Canadians. Canadians want a government that is responsible with their tax dollars and that puts priority on getting results.
In that spirit, our first budget took concrete, targeted measures to support skills development, such as the apprenticeship incentive grant and new investments in infrastructure for colleges and universities. Likewise, the measures we are taking to strengthen and focus federal investments in literacy are also driven by a commitment to results and a commitment to value for Canadian taxpayer dollars.
Over the next two years Canada's new government will be investing $81 million to support literacy programs that achieve concrete results for Canadians who are learning to read and write. We will invest in projects that have measurable outcomes, learning and literacy activities that demonstrate benefits to learners.
An example of such a project is the new literacy training corps being established by Frontier College. This initiative will train 60 young Canadians who will recruit volunteers to conduct tutoring sessions, community training and deliver 20,000 books per year to communities in need.
What we will not fund are projects like $300,000 in one year to answer 300 phone calls, of which 100 were wrong numbers. At $1,000 per call per day, that is not good value for taxpayer dollars and is not concretely helping Canadians read and write.
The bottom line is that moving forward we will invest in projects that support activities that directly help Canadians learn to read and write.
Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I want to make a correction. I do not believe that we have broken an election promise as the member said. I do not believe that was in our election platform, so I would like to correct the record.
Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I believe we are debating a private member's bill on unemployment and I think the member's opening remarks are irrelevant.
Business of Supply November 1st, 2006
Mr. Chair, it is my pleasure to rise this evening to elaborate on the targeted initiative for older workers. This particular program is cost shared federally, provincially and territorially. It is an employment program created to provide a range of employment activities to older workers who live and work in vulnerable communities and who have lost their jobs.
The projects will include activities such as assessment counselling, skills upgrading and work experience for new jobs. It will target communities experiencing ongoing high unemployment and/or high reliance on a single employer or industry. The census metropolitan areas with populations greater than 250,000 are now eligible for the programming.
I would like to say that we already have an agreement with Quebec, and six more provinces and two territories are already interested in working with us.
It is essential, we have found, that we keep older workers active in the labour market. We need to find ways of working with our provincial partners to reintegrate older workers into the workforce as quickly as possible. Not only does this supply the labour market with much needed workers, but it allows older workers to continue their contributions to their communities and to share their wisdom with others.
I am not alone in saying this. In a recent job strategy and thematic review, the OECD strongly indicated that more focus should be given to strategies that retrain and integrate older workers into the labour market.
Business of Supply November 1st, 2006
Mr. Chair, I think Service Canada was an excellent idea. I am glad we are going to implement it. I will say it was not looking good for a while.
However, one of the things we need to do is ensure that we involve the provinces and the municipalities so we truly have a one stop shop. I was encouraged when I met with Service Canada in Saskatchewan. In Saskatchewan they do--
Business of Supply November 1st, 2006
Mr. Chair, over the past year Service Canada has added 157 points of service to its delivery network. Most of that increase has been achieved through the new outreach and mobile services. As of September, Service Canada has had a total of 477 points of service to better serve Canadians wherever they live.
To facilitate access to programs and services, Service Canada has also brought together the 1 800 O-Canada telephone line and 23 other call centres.
I thought it is a good idea and I am glad that we have Service Canada for the increased number of points of service. It is a remarkable achievement in itself and I am confident there are more savings as we--
Business of Supply November 1st, 2006
Yes, they can visit Service Canada on line, they can phone, they can write, they can visit the Service Canada centre. In just a few years we have may have reached the point where accessing all government programs and services could be as easy as just one call, one click or a visit away.
We are not quite there yet, but Service Canada is moving in that direction.
Over the past year, Service Canada has added 157 points of service to its delivery network. Most of that increase has been achieved through outreach and mobile services.
We are very fortunate tonight to have officials from the department with us here. I cannot help but wonder what they think, with all that noise that is coming from across there. These lovely ladies probably will never go into politics.