Human Resources committee  I'll try to restrict myself to a minute. As far as the formal and informal, this is part of our problem in that we're restricted to the training act. As I said, it was conceived on the accounting logic. Basically what they're asking the employers to do is to figure how much training they have done in their businesses over a year and report that they have done at least 1% of their payroll.

Human Resources committee  Look, I do not want to get into the issue of transfers, I do not want to get into politics here this morning. However, there is a reality for the heads of SMEs, and I think it is important to put things in perspective in that regard We cannot oppose the principle, but in the final analysis, we represent members who end up footing the bill.

Human Resources committee  Yes, because I believe that this deserves clarification. We can all agree that the Canadian Federation of Independent Business is not against the principle of parental insurance. However, the National Assembly voted unanimously on a bill that sets out the foundations of a system that means we are buying a Cadillac when in fact we can only afford a Volkswagen.

Human Resources committee  This reminds me of the film the Great Seduction. I do not know wether you have seen it, but this is just the kind of situation it describes. We must also mention what is going on in certain areas with resources. The crisis in forestry in Quebec has given rise to a new phenomenon.

Human Resources committee  If I may add to that, I think it's so very important that all the ministries in the government--whether it's employment, immigration, education, or others--be working together when an immigrant applies abroad. Okay, Quebec selects its own immigrants, and we know that, but when we select our immigrants, we have to be able to make sure that we don't bring PhDs here if what we need are technical professions or whatever.

Human Resources committee  Absolutely not. I think you're going to create quite the opposite effect. You're going to give a bit of a break to the business owners to be able to reinvest that money into what counts--creating jobs.

Human Resources committee  Training is part of it too, and that's what I've always said. If you want to encourage business owners to train more people, don't create bureaucracy; create the conditions or the structures, the simple structures, that will help them to take advantage of those structures. I'm going to give you an example.

Human Resources committee  One more thing is if you're going to make any kind of tax credits available for small business, make sure they are taken advantage of by the small businesses and not necessarily the big businesses, because if you add so many conditions and restrictions, at the end of the day they get discouraged from applying and you lose the whole effect.

Human Resources committee  I'm glad to see that you were a proud member of CFIB. Indeed, lowering the tax burden is always one of the highest priorities of our members, and I would say there are numerous ways of doing it. Whether it's on payroll taxes or on tax credits or on EI, there are numerous ways of putting some money back in the pockets of small business owners.

Human Resources committee  I must clarify what I said, Ms. Savoie. I said that when the legislation was implemented in Quebec, the incentive was of a financial nature, meaning that the purpose was to increase investment in training. The way to go about this was to create the Fonds national de formation de la main-d'oeuvre [The Quebec Labour Force Training Fund].

Human Resources committee  You have clearly identified the problem, and this raises the full issue of apprentices and companions. At the time when I represented young professional workers, I saw quite a few young college graduates specialized in technical subjects who could not find work in the industry because they were harassed by the Commission de la construction du Québec.

Human Resources committee  With your permission, let me follow up in these statements. I do not mean any offence to my colleague André Gariépy when I say that the provincial regulatory systems are not entirely perfect. We saw this during the dispute between Quebec and Ontario regarding construction. It took several years to resolve.

Human Resources committee  Obviously, if there is a regular turnover of staff, it's not necessarily easy for a business person to train a new employee, since there are hiring costs involved. In fact, it probably costs more to hire someone than to retain workers. Of course, we all know that the West is booming today.

Human Resources committee  That's a business which is benefiting from climate change. In fact, one of the biggest problems faced by these types of business leaders is that they must comply with regulations which are not necessarily adapted to the specific workplace conditions of their companies. For example, Quebec has had a parental insurance plan for about one year now, which is different from those of other provinces.

Human Resources committee  Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, Mr. Chair. If you don't mind, Mr. Allison, I will address you in French, as it is my mother tongue, but I would be more than pleased to answer questions in French or English, depending on who is asking. We are very pleased to be here today.