Human Resources committee  Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. We have made certain commitments today to provide additional information, and we will do so forthwith, through the chair, for all members.

Human Resources committee  You're asking about the temporary foreign workers program and some of its conditions. I wonder if I can ask my colleague Mr. Larose.

Human Resources committee  We're very involved, very engaged, and very concerned about the issue, and--I neglected to mention in answering questions about mobility--very concerned about not only the apprenticeship system in Canada but barriers to their mobility both across Canada and into Canada from abroa

Human Resources committee  Yes, I did. I'm scrambling for the deck. I think you'll find in the deck entitled “Seasonal Workers”, in its opening statement, our definition: “A seasonal worker being a paid employee, working in a non-permanent job that will end at a specific time or in the near future after a

Human Resources committee  Correct. Typically--and you'll find this in the deck as well--this is a reference to higher employment in our peak summer months, in our short summer period here, the June to August period, compared to the winter months of January to March.

Human Resources committee  In terms of our employment--which as I appreciate isn't what you asked--there is the number here. As a proportion of our employment base, it's 3% or 3.1%. In terms of unemployment, that's what we mean by seasonally adjusted unemployment, so that you don't see that when you're loo

Human Resources committee  It's hard to want to take issue with many of these things. Certainly, the issue of low literacy in Canada has a surprisingly large incidence. I think the numbers are quite high in Atlantic Canada, and in New Brunswick as well. I believe that is why it's a preoccupation not only o

Human Resources committee  I certainly don't want to suggest there's nothing that we can and should do to promote choice--both access to employees by employers or choice by individuals. I would suggest, sir, that it starts with labour market information. Canadians have a choice, and Canadians should be w

Human Resources committee  Thank you for raising that. I did try to acquaint myself a little more with the mobility issue, given the previous deliberations of your committee and the interest in it. As I alluded, there are a number of factors that enter into an individual's decision to relocate. It's not

Human Resources committee  As my colleague Mr. Atherton mentioned, I too am not an expert on EI program features, but this is a program under constant scrutiny by us in all of its aspects. These issues are raised often. This is not a new issue for us. I'd generally say that for an insurance program, you

Human Resources committee  This term “underemployment” can have many meanings, and in answering your question I may not have addressed it in the way you chose. Certainly, one of the things that are most evident and least controversial is the strong relationship between levels of educational attainment an

Human Resources committee  I'll say a couple of general words, and then I'll turn it over to Ms. Kirby. Yes. On the deck, because we were asked by the committee to address workplace literacy, the material that you have focuses on workplace literacy. We are very proud of the National Literacy Secretariat,

Human Resources committee  It's a very daunting question. We have 320 regional offices, and we have 22,000 regional employees. We process millions of dollars in benefit payments. In doing so, we certainly hear a great many comments, some positive and some negative, and many suggestions for changes to EI.

Human Resources committee  Yes. Mr. Chair, I do first want to assure the member with respect to the temporary foreign workers program that the first requirement of our department, in processing that, is to assure ourselves that the employer has made every effort to offer the job to a Canadian. They have

Human Resources committee  Yes, we'll turn to Mr. Atherton for those employment insurance data. Quickly, on your first remarks about literacy, it's essentially correct that Canada's literacy results have not markedly changed in a decade. I can confirm that. With respect to underemployment, I won't be a