Monday, September 19, 1994

Monday, September 19, 1994

VOLUME 133 NUMBER 092 1st SESSION 35th PARLIAMENT OFFICIAL REPORT (HANSARD) Monday, September 19, 1994 Speaker: The Honourable Gilbert Parent HOUSE OF COMMONS Monday, September 19, 1994 The House met at 11 a.m. federal economic and social policy are guided by the objective of achieving full employment. _______________ Full employment does not mean an unemployment rate of Prayers zero per cent. Economists estimate that it is generally consid- ered between 3 and 4 per cent. It does mean that there is no _______________ permanent structural unemployment and that it is a set of [English] precepts by which other policies should be guided. Full employ- ment also does not mean that the government guarantees every- The Speaker: I wish to inform the House that in accordance one a job. It means that the number of jobs available in public with the representation made by the government under the and private sectors is very close to the number of people active provisions of Standing Order 55(1) I have caused to be pub- in the workforce. lished a special order paper giving notice of introduction of government bills. I now lay the relevant document upon the The objectives of a full employment policy have been proven table. over and over again in other countries to work very well in concert with proper labour market policies. [Translation] A full employment economic strategy will build social justice My dear colleagues, I have the honour to lay on the table a with unemployment and underemployment reduced. The devas- copy of the reprint of the Standing Orders of the House of tation of poverty and a lack of choices and opportunities are Commons, dated September 1994, which includes all amend- tragedies that characterize our present economic system, one ments to the Standing Orders since the beginning of the session. that is clearly in failure. _____________________________________________ [Translation] I would like to explain, first of all, that this bill requires the PRIVATE MEMBERS’ BUSINESS minister to prepare a draft plan for the achievement of full employment in Canada and lay it before Parliament. [English] (1105) FULL EMPLOYMENT ACT The draft plan would then be reviewed by a standing commit- Hon. Audrey McLaughlin (Yukon) moved that Bill C–209, tee of the House of Commons. The minister would consider the an act to provide for full employment in Canada, be read the report and recommendations of the committee in the preparation second time and referred to a committee. of a final plan. The plan would be reviewed annually against the targets for achieving full employment, and the report on any She said: Madam Speaker, today I rise in this Parliament to adjustments necessary to meet the targets of the plan would be speak to what I believe is one of the biggest issues facing each prepared within six months of the end of the year and laid before one of us here and one of the greatest responsibilities, jobs and Parliament. job creation. I have quite a few recommendations on how this objective We are still in double digit unemployment. There are still far should be achieved—in fact, there are 22—but I will just too many people unemployed. It is time this government took describe a few. For instance, an environmental awareness pro- direct action and accountability for unemployment levels. gram that would promote the goal of sustainable development Bill C–209, an act to provide for full employment in Canada, through new environmental technologies, sewage treatment will ensure that the government is as accountable for job facilities and energy efficiency programs. creation as it is for deficit reduction. It is therefore necessary to have an investment policy that A full employment strategy means that all of the federal includes the right to review and regulate foreign investment in government’s activities, managing interest rates and the dollar, Canada, a national investment fund that operates at arms–length dealing with trading partners, investing in new businesses and from the government and an elimination of corporations’ rights innovation, helping workers retrain, and every other aspect of to deduct interest expenses from taxable income. 5785 COMMONS DEBATES September 19, 1994 Private Members’ Business A national policy on education that includes a national creation but of the need to ensure that the existing work is more council on education which would examine all issues relevant equitably spread. Many people work many hours of overtime to education. while others rest without employment at all. An important ingredient of this plan is strengthened support I would like to mention some of the recommendations of the to existing social programs such as health care and the creation Canadian Labour Congress. It specifically addresses the issue of of new social programs such as a national child care program. how we attain full employment and the labour market policies which the government can put in place to facilitate that. It is also necessary to have comprehensive adjustment mea- sures for workers such as the establishment of a mandatory job For example, there is the reduction of standard weekly hours vacancy registry and job matching system through Canada to less than 40 hours per week. In the past there was a huge battle Employment Centres and the establishment of adjustment com- about limiting work hours. There is a requirement for employers mittees for employees in positions where significant lay–offs to keep a log of all hours worked and more stringent limits on are anticipated, to facilitate counselling, re–training and em- overtime, both weekly and annually. ployment services for workers who are or may be laid off. We know many employers would rather pay overtime than to It is necessary as well to provide for examination of the create a new job and take on a new employee because there is impact of all federal fiscal policies on employment, including less book work and less hassle for the employer. We have to the mandate of the Bank of Canada. facilitate making it possible for the employer to do that. In some These examples are all in the bill, and I think it is very recent collective agreements, for example in automative important for a committee to consider the ways in which this manufacturing, a whole new shift with a number of new em- part of the bill can be implemented. ployees has been employed and other employees have reduced their overtime. [English] The government should take the initiative in looking at those One of the most important aspects of this bill is it will ensure kinds of issues. Clearly in doing this we have to look at not that the government reports unemployment targets to the House simply reducing pay to workers. When looking at the work week of Commons as it now does with deficit reduction targets. By and reductions in overtime and the accompanying labour market law the plan would be reviewed annually against targets for policies we must also ensure that benefits and other recompense achieving full employment with adjustments required to meet- are respected. Many kinds of these ideas are there. They can be ing the targets of the plan to be reviewed within six months of acted upon by a government that really wants to deal with the the end of the year. issue and not simply speak about it. The point of this bill is that the government must be as I would like to speak briefly about the Minister of Human accountable for the reduction of unemployment as it is for the Resources Development’s ongoing social policy review. It re- reduction of the debt and the deficit. lates very closely to this plan for full employment. The goal of There is a clear linkage between the policies of the govern- the review should be to make social programs more efficient but ment and the ability of our economy not to have a jobless also more equitable. Accordingly the Minister of Human Re- recovery but to have a real recovery with jobs. Canadians who sources Development in the context of his social policy review are now underemployed or unemployed would have work. must consider adopting a comprehensive policy of full employ- ment. When I speak of labour market policies there are a number that must be taken into account. For example, in recent statistics Lower unemployment means a lower deficit. The two are we see the largest increase in the number of jobs has been in part inextricably linked. That is the purpose of this bill: to say that time jobs. Many people may wish to work part time but others the government of the day must give equal emphasis to reducing work part time because they have no option. There must be unemployment as to reducing the deficit because they are policies in place to ensure that part time workers receive inextricably linked. benefits and that they receive full recognition for part time work. Saskatchewan has brought in benefits for part time We do not need to cripple our social programs and marginal- workers. The federal government and other provinces should ize the unemployed to reduce the deficit. That is like chopping follow that model. up the furniture to heat the home. Let us start dealing with the fundamental structural problems of the bad economic policies (1110) we have seen pursued in this country. Other adequate labour market policies are absolutely neces- Let us also get rid of the myth that unemployment is free. It is sary. I would like to mention some of the recommendations impossible to reduce a budget deficit when there is widespread which have come out of the labour movement.

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