House of Commons photoLost his last election, in 2019, with 36% of the vote.
Employment May 29th, 2014
As I have said, Mr. Speaker, we have reviewed this program. We have made several changes, which those members across the way voted against. We are making sure that Canadians always get the jobs offered to them first, before we bring in temporary foreign workers.
Why does that member and that party not do an independent audit of the taxpayers' money they are spending staffing their campaign offices across the country using funds that are supposed to be spent here in Ottawa?
Employment May 29th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, we have made changes to this program to ensure that employers get the workers they need when no Canadian is available. We have also made changes to ensure that employers follow the rules and make sure they offer Canadians the jobs first, but every time we put those changes forward, that member and that party voted against them.
Employment May 29th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, the purpose of the temporary foreign worker program is to provide employers with employees when no Canadian is available for the job. We know that there is no general labour shortage across Canada, but what we do have in some sectors and some regions are shortages, so we are going to put measures in place and make changes to the program to make sure that all employers offer Canadians the jobs before they are offered to any temporary foreign worker.
Committees of the House May 28th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the fifth report of the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities, entitled “Main Estimates 2014-15”.
Committees of the House May 28th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the fourth report of the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities, entitled “Opportunities for Aboriginal Persons in the Workforce”. Pursuant to Standing Order 109, the committee requests that the government table a comprehensive response to this report.
Pensions May 26th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, one of the worst things we can do as we emerge from the largest global recession since the Great Depression is increase payroll taxes upon contributors and employers across this country. That would leave fewer jobs and fewer contributors to the retirement program, damaging the ability of the retirement program to be there when retiring Canadians needed it.
I want to assure my hon. colleague that the Social Security Tribunal will continue to provide a fair and accessible appeal system for all Canadians. The SST members are appointed by the Governor in Council following a publicly advertised selection process. The tribunal is an independent body that ensures Canadians can get an impartial review of government decisions that affect their social benefits.
As I said earlier, the first year of the SST was a transition period, and it is committed to continuing to look at better ways to provide fair, credible, and impartial appeal processes in a timely manner for Canadians.
Pensions May 26th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, first let me give some background on the SST. Until last year, there were four separate tribunals to deal with appeals related to three programs: old age security, also known as OAS; the Canada pension plan, known as CPP; and employment insurance, known as EI. Each of them had its own management and reporting structure. The old appeal process was expensive and slow, and fewer than one in three claims were heard within 30 days. That is why our government replaced these tribunals with a single decision-making body, the new Social Security Tribunal, or SST.
When a client of the EI program, CPP, or OAS is unhappy with a decision made about their case, they may ask Service Canada to review their file and reconsider the decision. If the client is then not satisfied with the reconsideration of the decision, they can appeal to the SST.
The new tribunal has full-time dedicated members. It also has a single case management system and centralized administrative support. With the creation of the SST, we have done more than just create a streamlined structure; we have brought the appeals process into the 21st century.
The new tribunal will work smarter, using technology such as document imaging, electronic filing, and video conferencing to reduce the paper burden and travel time and make the appeals process easier and faster. Additional measures in both the department and the SST are being implemented to further improve efficiencies as we move forward.
The SST began operating on April 1, 2013. Its first year was a transition period to allow all appeals in the old four-tribunal system to be finalized, while all new appeals were handled through the SST.
The SST received higher-than-anticipated caseloads from the legacy tribunals, especially from the income security division. These cases were all deemed ready to proceed as of April 1, 2014, and the SST is giving top priority to these legacy cases.
The SST is an independent administrative tribunal that operates at arm's length from the department. It is committed to providing fair, credible, and impartial appeal processes in a timely manner.
Questions on the Order Paper May 26th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, with regard to (a), the Youth Employment Strategy, or YES, offers three programs. The Skills Link program helps young people who face more barriers to employment than others develop basic employability skills and gain valuable job experience to assist them in making a successful transition into the labour market or to return to school. They could be youth who have not completed high school, single parents, aboriginal youth, young persons with disabilities, youth living in rural or remote areas, or newcomers. The Career Focus program helps post-secondary graduates transition to the labour market through paid internships and helps to provide youth with the information and experience they need to make informed career decisions, find a job, and/or pursue advanced studies. The summer work experience program provides wage subsidies to employers to create summer employment for secondary and post-secondary students. The summer work experience program includes Canada Summer Jobs, or CSJ. The CSJ provides funding for not-for-profit organizations, public sector employers, and small businesses with 50 or fewer employees to create summer job opportunities for students.
The following federal departments and agencies are also part of the YES: Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada; Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada; Canadian Heritage; Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation; Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development; Environment Canada; Industry Canada; the National Research Council; Natural Resources Canada; and Parks Canada.
With regard to (b) and (c), this information can be found at the following link: http://www.esdc.gc.ca/eng/publications/dpr/index.shtml.
With regard to (d), the department does not track the number of rejected applications based on the reasons mentioned in the question.
Homelessness May 16th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, we have championed a model to deal with homelessness called Housing First, and under Housing First, we have helped some 2,000 homeless Canadians with mental illnesses find stable housing. We are doing the job when it comes to housing.
The NDP claims to support affordable housing, but it votes against the home renovation tax credit. It voted against the first-time home buyers' tax credit. It voted against disability-related home renovation construction and moving tax credits available for the medical expense tax credit.
Why does it not put its money where its mouth is and stand up to support housing across Canada?
Employment May 16th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, let me add a sixth thing the Liberal leader has asked for. When pressed in his own riding to bring temporary foreign workers in, he was one of the first ones to write a letter to the minister asking for a temporary foreign worker chef to be moved into one of his favourite restaurants.
That is how the Liberals treat temporary foreign workers. They stand in the House and make complaints, but they always ask the Minister of Employment and Social Development for temporary foreign workers when it comes to their own ridings.