Mr. Speaker, I will be splitting my time with the hon. member for Hull—Aylmer.
I am proud to stand today to bring the voices of my constituents and all Manitobans to this debate. My riding of Kildonan—St. Paul to the north of the city of Winnipeg is made up of four communities divided down the middle by the mighty Red River.
I am proud to say that Kildonan—St. Paul is a picture of Canadian diversity. In North and West Kildonan, new Canadians have found a home and adapted. There are retirees, mineral workers, pipefitters, manufacturers, small business owners, bankers, waiters, students, and tradespeople all across the riding. It is a diverse and growing workforce.
This includes a small and dynamic oil sector. In the last 15 years, Manitoba's oil industry has grown from 10,000 barrels a day in 2003 to over 50,000 barrels a day a decade later. However, investment has dropped significantly in the last two years. Manitobans have lost their jobs and have been left wondering where their next paycheque will come from, like many Albertans.
As a former geoscientist, I have experienced first-hand the ups and downs of Canada's resource economy. I know that sometimes times are very tough. It was with that experience that I approached my role as minister of employment, workforce development, and labour. I saw that families were hurting in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Newfoundland, and in my home province of Manitoba.
If we look at the statistics, as of November 2016, employment in oil and gas was down 11.3%. For upstream businesses, it was down 23.4%. In hard rock, it was down 7.3%.
That is why we extended El benefits to hard-hit workers in regions all across the country. We made the program easier to access and extended the amount eligible workers could claim, up to 70 weeks for some workers, an investment of $2.7 billion. I also announced over $200 million in additional funding for workforce training in the Prairies, and over $73 million for work integrated learning. Training provides an opportunity for long-term gain.
This January, the Conference Board of Canada recognized that Manitoba's young indigenous people present an enormous economic opportunity for Canada. Strong training programs are the key to unlocking this population's potential. Last fall, our government announced the approval of three pipelines. The construction of these pipelines will create over 20,000 jobs. These pipelines will make Canada's energy sector more competitive internationally and will lead to more jobs for Canadians.
Our government made a historic commitment of $120 billion in our infrastructure plan that will put Canadians to work to rebuild our nation's roads, hospitals, and clean water. This plan will put people to work and prepare our country for the decades ahead. In Alberta, we approved over 127 projects worth $1.36 billion, and 70% of those projects are under way.
I am proud to say that our government has started to make a difference for workers affected by the downturn in the resource sector. Last October, the Bank of Canada reported that the energy sector was beginning to rebound. We see that in the commodity prices in both oil and gas and in hard rock.
When times were tough, I am proud to say that we as a government supported those people hardest hit. We approved pipelines to create more jobs. We invested in skills development and training to prepare our workforce for the future. Our government understands that all Canadians benefit from strong economies in every province. We have and will continue to support Canada's resource sector.
