Human Resources committee  I think what we need to do is repurpose the resources that we already have, the opportunities fund being a start, federal-provincial transfer funds being the other. The federal government sets the rules. It's the government that sets the rules, and then departments within the pro

Human Resources committee  The unemployment rate has not changed really in the last 30 years, so we know that the initiatives that we've had to date have had limited success. Where we see the most success now is when we talk about this from an economic point of view. More importantly, who is going to commu

Human Resources committee  But this was the springboard in order for her to get there.

Human Resources committee  Thank you very much for that question. Let's start with what we shouldn't do. Right now, the federal opportunities fund, which is that $40 million, is being used largely for direct-to-employer wage subsidies. This is a huge problem. The way forward in getting businesses to open

Human Resources committee  The federal government can use those types of funds, like the opportunities fund. The gentleman over here on the right this morning said, “We don't want to go back to taxpayers and ask them for more money.” We don't need to do that. The resources are already there. The money that

Human Resources committee  Thank you. But could I just add, Wayne, you're absolutely right. There are places and times in which a wage subsidy has worked very well.

Human Resources committee  But not for people with disabilities.

Human Resources committee  Number one is a paycheque. A paycheque changes everything. Right now, people who have disabilities who are on all of these pensions that John was talking about are a drain on the system. By taking an individual off those benefits and putting them into the workplace, it's a win-wi

Human Resources committee  Yes, absolutely. I have one quick story I want to share with the group about a young lady I hired five years ago who is profoundly deaf. She met me at a presentation, and she asked if she could come and work in one of my stores. I asked her for her resumé, and she had an MBA. S

Human Resources committee  So things are moving; things are changing. The message is resonating, and the message is resonating because we're focusing on the economics of it. We've always talked about the right thing to do. We've always talked about legislative compliance. We have a paradigm shift coming i

Human Resources committee  Very much so. There are a couple of things that I've done. I'm an advocate and I'm an activist. I started talking about this about 10 years ago. I went to a conference as a delegate and the keynote speaker didn't show up and they asked me to speak. The rest is history. My messag

Human Resources committee  I noticed a few Starbucks cups around the table, though.

Human Resources committee  Thank you very much for having me here this morning. I've been a Tim Hortons franchisee now for the past 21 years. In that time I've employed 145 people with disabilities in meaningful and competitively paid positions. This is every type of disability in every area of my busines