Persons with Disabilities  Mr. Speaker, the Canada disability benefit is about lifting people out of poverty. It is about addressing the financial insecurity faced by far too many working-aged Canadians with disabilities in our country. I was so excited weeks ago when we passed a unanimous consent motion in the House and all parties agreed this should be a priority.

Canada Disability Benefit Act  moved for leave to introduce Bill C-22, An Act to reduce poverty and to support the financial security of persons with disabilities by establishing the Canada disability benefit and making a consequential amendment to the Income Tax Act. (Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship  Mr. Speaker, temporary foreign workers have played an important role in ensuring our food security, particularly during the pandemic. They deserve to be protected. That is why we are working with the provinces to ensure that employers are prepared to welcome workers safely. We are ensuring that employers meet their program obligations through enhanced inspections.

Employment  Mr. Speaker, that is an important question. Skilled trade workers are essential to Canada's economy and infrastructure and to our everyday life. To ensure Canadians can seize the opportunities in the trades, we are helping create 25,000 new apprenticeships across Canada. We are investing $247 million to help small and medium-sized businesses hire mechanics, electricians and other apprentices.

Employment  Mr. Speaker, I know that the incredibly low unemployment rate, in fact, the lowest unemployment rate in the history of our country since we have been recording this data, is putting a burden on employers to find workers. That is why we are taking an all-of-government approach to addressing labour shortages, whether it is welcoming talent from around the world, investing in the workers of the future, looking to transition workers through skills and training opportunities, or investing in specific sectors that are transitioning.

Persons with Disabilities  Mr. Speaker, in fact, we had a wonderful meeting just this morning to discuss this very issue. Since 2015, we have made historic investments in disability inclusion. Just in this past budget 2022, we are investing almost $300 million in an employment strategy for people with disabilities and alternate-format materials.

Persons with Disabilities  Mr. Speaker, I am encouraged by my hon. colleague's enthusiasm for tabling the Canada disability legislation. Its implementation remains a top priority for me. With budget 2021, we actually invested $11.9 million to consult the disability community on eligibility, and that work will directly inform this benefit.

Persons with Disabilities  Mr. Speaker, I can assure my colleague that I am working very hard to reduce poverty levels of working-age Canadians with disabilities. I am very confident we will move forward with the Canada disability legislation, and a key pillar of our disability inclusion action plan is to reform, modernize and dignify the eligibility processes for Government of Canada disability benefits and supports, including the disability tax credit.

Employment  Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for Surrey Centre for his hard work on this file. The TFW workforce solutions road map aims to improve the program for employers while strengthening worker protection without compromising Canadians' jobs. Canada has a low unemployment rate and an unmet demand in many sectors.

The Economy  Mr. Speaker, I am happy to share with the House all the good work our government is doing to address labour shortages. This includes attracting talent from around the world to Canada, including additional measures announced today under the temporary foreign worker program. It is about investing in the next generation of workers through the Canada student loans and grants program.

Official Report  Mr. Speaker, I want to correct the record on an answer I gave earlier when I said we would eliminate student debt. I would like to correct the record to say that we will eliminate interest on student debt.

Post-Secondary Education  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to advise the member that until at least next March of 2024 students do not have to pay debt on their student loan payments, and we made a commitment, which we will make good on, to eliminate permanently student debt for students so they can go off into their careers in a position to excel, to flourish and to prosper, like every Canadian has a right to.

Persons With Disabilities  Mr. Speaker, no one should live in poverty, and far too many Canadians with disabilities do. Since 2015, we have taken historic steps towards building a disability-inclusive Canada and we have learned that the lives of persons with disabilities have also been disproportionately impacted by this pandemic.

Employment Insurance  Mr. Speaker, we know it is very hard for women who do not have access to employment insurance. The Social Security Tribunal is an independent tribunal, and it made a decision. The Canada Employment Insurance Commission, which is also independent, opted to appeal the decision.

Employment Insurance  Mr. Speaker, we understand the situation these mothers are in. It is very difficult. This is my motivation for changing the EI system. We can absolutely do better. The system simply has not kept up with the way Canadians work, which is why we are spending so much time and effort on our modernization efforts for EI.