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Results: 1 - 15 of 19
View Seamus O'Regan Profile
Lib. (NL)
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I'm pleased to join you from the island of Newfoundland—the ancestral homeland of the Mi'gmaw and Beothuk peoples.
It is also one of Canada's proud oil-producing provinces.
It’s great to be back in front of this committee. I mean that, because I always enjoy my appearances here as part of the estimates cycle, and I recently appeared on Bill S-3, which we unanimously adopted at third reading yesterday in the House.
Since my last appearance on the main estimates and the supplementary estimates (C), the recovery has come along and regions are reopening. The natural resources sector is leading the recovery. Over half of Canadians have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
I want to start my remarks talking about some of the significant developments in recent weeks, and even recent days, in energy. We are at a particular moment in time, I think a defining moment, one at which globally an increasing number of jurisdictions, countries and companies are charting their pathways to net zero.
The International Energy Agency recently issued a report called “Net Zero by 2050: A Roadmap for the Global Energy Sector”, which I’m sure we will talk more about today. It is something Canada called on the IEA to do, and it is the first analysis that is compliant with limiting a rise in global temperature to 1.5°C. We asked it to conduct the report because we wanted to have a view, a highly technical view, of what the world needs to know and what the world would look like in order to get to net zero.
The climate and environment ministers of the G7, shortly after, met and agreed jointly to keep a limit of 1.5 degrees Celsius within reach by aiming to achieve net-zero emissions as soon as possible, by 2050 at the latest.
In my province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Dame Moya Greene issued a report on the future of this province, and it was an unflinching look at a dire financial situation. There is no sense in beating around the bush on that. There is a lot of hard work ahead of us and a lot of tough decisions, and a lot of that conversation is around energy.
On Wednesday of this week, there were three events, the reverberations of which are still being felt. People in the industry are still reeling about these. There was a landmark decision by a court in the Netherlands ordering Royal Dutch Shell to cut emissions by 45% by 2030. Shareholders of another major oil company, Chevron, backed a proposal by a convincing majority of 61% to cut its Scope 3 emissions, the emissions generated by customers' use of the products it sells. As well, ExxonMobil shareholders voted to install two new independent directors in what the Financial Times, economists and everybody are calling a clear rebuke of the company’s efforts, or lack thereof, to meaningfully address climate change to date.
What all of these events demonstrate is that the world is calling for increased climate ambition. The market is demanding it. Investors are demanding it.
I've said it before and I'll say it again: the market demands that businesses fight climate change.
Governments are taking action. Last month, at the global leadership summit, countries announced historic new climate ambitions. Forty countries—Canada among them—accounting for half of the world's economy, committed to act. We committed to lower emissions. Companies are taking action, some too slowly but some very decisively. On Wednesday, Suncor committed to net zero by 2050, actually increasing their ambition—real Canadian leadership. That's to match the mark set by Cenovus Energy earlier last year.
Yesterday, Canada's oldest oil and gas trade association announced a new name and a new brand and mandate. After 72 years, the Canadian Association of Oilwell Drilling Contractors is now the Canadian Association of Energy Contractors, which just broadens their horizons, I think. It increases their ambition in looking at hydrogen, geothermal and CCUS. That is Canadian leadership right there. That is meeting the moment.
That's basically it. We can duck and run for cover, as some would have us do, stick our heads in the sand, avoid those tough conversations and ultimately leave Canadian workers and our proud industry behind, or we can lead by facing these challenges head-on with conviction and tenacity, leveraging that innate Canadian capacity, the capacity of our workers to use their ingenuity, their expertise, and their experience to meet Canada's challenges head-on. I choose the latter, as I have said before in this committee.
We have to define the moment we find ourselves in. We have to meet the challenges that this moment presents. Canadians, I think for the most part, understand that we need to choose the latter. Workers, I think, are choosing the latter.
This committee chooses the latter. You are studying the opportunities provided by the renewable and low-emission fuels industry. You have also studied opportunities in the critical minerals industry, in which Canada has a clear and distinct advantage. We have the opportunity to be a world leader.
You've studied the opportunities in forestry. On that point, I'd like to thank the committee for your good work on your recent report, “Economic Recovery in Canada's Forestry Sector: Green and Inclusive”. We are analyzing the recommendations and are working on a forthcoming response to it.
Budget 2021 chooses the latter. Four major investments put Natural Resources Canada at the centre of our green recovery.
$319 million over seven years to encourage an expansion of carbon capture, utilization and storage technologies.
$36.8 million over three years to advance critical battery mineral processing and refining expertise.
$9.6 million, also over three years, to create a critical battery minerals centre of excellence.
And finally, $1.5 billion over five years for the clean fuels fund to position Canada as a global leader in areas like hydrogen and biomass.
Mr. Chair, budget 2021 continues to build on the progress of our government over the past few years and the priorities that we're working on at Natural Resources Canada in the 2021-22 main estimates and the supplementary estimates (A), priorities that underpin our support for workers and our drive to lower emissions, and the steps on Canada's pathway to net zero, such as the $570 million in the main estimates for the emissions reduction fund. It is a fund that is working. There has been high uptake across streams.
We recently announced the first set of projects: 40 projects across Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia, and 16 projects in my province, in the Newfoundland offshore. These are real projects that are creating real jobs for workers, and they're under way right now to lower emissions.
The mains also include $84 million for last year and $309 million this fiscal year for greener homes. Yesterday we launched the Canada greener homes grant, so that Canadians can lower their energy bills and lower emissions. It's a program that drives economic activity. It creates jobs for energy advisers and local trades and for manufacturers of energy-efficient products such as windows, doors and solar panels.
The mains also provide $174.5 million in 2021-22 to support forestry diversifying and innovating, especially in the emerging bioeconomy, something which, again, I commend this committee for studying. There is funding for programs like the investments in forest industry transformation program and the forest innovation program, programs that this committee has heard at length about in terms of the positive impact across the country, programs that sustain jobs and increase the sector's competitiveness.
The supplementary estimates (A) further support forestry. There is a down payment there of $71.4 million for our two billion trees program to increase forest cover—an area 10 times the size of P.E.I. Trees are being planted this spring. I look forward to sharing more about this very soon.
The last program I'll highlight is on creating green jobs for Canada's youth. Supplementary estimates (A) include $43.9 million for our science and technology internship program, creating 1,500 green jobs for youth with a focus on indigenous and northern youth, jobs such as designing and implementing new wind energy systems, so that youth can lead and be a part of the net-zero solutions we need to build our low-emissions energy future.
Those are just some of the priorities we're working on. I don't have enough time in my opening remarks to speak to all of them.
As Minister of Natural Resources, I would say that every day I am constantly impressed by the drive of the officials and the staff at Natural Resources Canada. They are meeting the moment, I believe. They are ready to tackle the challenge. Some of them, as you know, are here alongside me today, as they always are.
There are challenges that we continue to face, such as those related to Line 5 and softwood lumber. We remain steadfast in our resolve to defend Canadian interests against these challenges.
But to leave off where I began—the moment we find ourselves in is a moment of opportunity for our country and for the workers who built this country.
No other democracy in the world has the natural resources that we do. We are the fourth-largest producer of oil and gas in the world, with the third-largest reserves. We are third in the world in hydroelectricity. We are one of only five tier-one nations for nuclear energy. We are a pacesetter in clean hydrogen and fuel-cell technologies. We are a supplier of choice for the minerals critical to powering a clean energy future. We are a top-ranked country for clean technology, including smart grids, storage technology and carbon capture.
We became all of those things not by sheer happenstance or coincidence. We became what we are because of the workers at the heart of these industries. These are proud, pragmatic, practical people who work in natural resources sectors right across the country. They don't avoid tough conversations or the challenges. They confront them head-on. They are leading, as are we. We have a common mission: net-zero emissions by 2050, a prosperous economy that continues to create jobs and a low-carbon future that leaves no one behind.
I am joined today by my officials: Jean-François Tremblay, deputy minister; Shirley Carruthers, assistant deputy minister, corporate management and services sector and our chief financial officer; Glenn Hargrove, assistant deputy minister, major projects management office and strategic petroleum policy and investment office; Mollie Johnson, assistant deputy minister, low carbon energy sector; Jeff Labonté, assistant deputy minister, lands and minerals sector; and Beth MacNeil, assistant deputy minister, Canadian Forest Service.
One last word: I am proud to have appeared before this committee three times over the past four months. I am proud of the constructive relationships I have with my opposition critics—Greg, Mario, Richard—as well as other members of this committee. We hardly agree, nor should we. We all have jobs to do, but I do believe that constructive relationships are how we best serve Canadians. It's how we tackle the challenges that we face. I look forward to continuing this important work.
With that, I welcome your questions.
I thank you for your attention.
View Raj Saini Profile
Lib. (ON)
One thing that's going to be critically important for us as a country in fighting climate change is making sure that we have the skilled and educated workforce necessary to create and implement the strategies and tools necessary to fight climate change.
How will contributions to the youth employment and skills strategy help young Canadians realize their potential and help solve this issue in the years to come?
View Jonathan Wilkinson Profile
Lib. (BC)
Again, it's a really important question coming out of COVID. It's clear that young Canadians want to develop the skills and experience to be able to help build a cleaner and greener economy. The science horizons youth internship program, which falls under the broader federal youth employment and skills strategy, aims to give opportunities to youth with post-secondary education by providing eligible employers with wage subsidies to hire youth with a post-secondary education who are eligible to work in science and technology.
I was recently at a company in Vancouver called Terramera. I met a couple of folks in that program who are working in the green economy. These are the kinds of things that we really need to be focused on, because that economy is going to need workers, and I think young people will really want to be participants in that development.
Scott Wildeman
View Scott Wildeman Profile
Scott Wildeman
2021-04-12 12:16
Thank you for the opportunity to speak to you all today.
The Fitness Industry Council of Canada represents over 6,000 fitness facilities, ranging from single boutiques to large regional and national chains. We employ over 150,000 Canadians coast to coast to coast, and we serve over six million members.
We've been decimated by the closures and the restrictions arising from COVID-19. To give some context, if a facility is able to be open, they are operating at around 50% of pre-COVID levels. If they're forced to close, they're operating at 0% to 10%, depending on their online presence.
We still have fixed cost bases. We applaud the federal government for the CEWS program and the CERS program. They have been very well received and appreciated. However, there are still other costs that we incur.
Little consideration has been given to new start-up businesses that opened in January or February of 2020. With regard to regional chains with multiple locations, the fact that their CERS is capped means they're still on the hook for the balance of their rent. At the end of the day, after government supports, facilities are still losing between $15,000 and $30,000 per month. We have asked the provincial governments for industry-specific support.
I'm here today to talk about how we, as an industry, can be part of the collective health and wellness of Canadians and do our part to help with the national recovery. We're not here to ask for a bailout; we're here to be part of the solution.
We know that exercise has a multitude of benefits. It reduces hypertension by 33% to 60%. It reduces diabetes and cardiovascular disease. It reduces risks of stroke and colon cancer, of breast cancer and Alzheimer's, and it reduces the impacts of anxiety and depression. We also know that COVID-19, unfortunately, has significant impacts for those who have one or more of these chronic conditions.
How can we be part of a solution? Post-COVID, we're looking to ask the federal government and PHAC to expand the Prescription to Get Active program across Canada. For those who don't know about the program, it's based out of Alberta, and it links primary care—your physician—with the fitness and recreation options in your community. We have no-cost and low-cost options. We have fitness facilities. We have remote options for those who are in rural or rural remote areas or are simply not interested in joining a facility.
We want to expand this program. It is turnkey, but it is also flexible to accommodate various geographical regions of Canada. For example, northern Ontario is much different from downtown Vancouver.
We are also asking the federal government to have fitness expenses—fitness memberships and services—considered a medical expense. On your federal tax return, you could include fitness as a medical expense. We have the ability to provide attendance reports for auditability. We have professionals from coast to coast to coast who are ready, willing and able to serve Canadians, to help build sustainable behaviour change to ensure that we create healthy and active lifestyles.
The infrastructure already exists. This truly is a stroke-of-the-pen change that we're asking for. We believe that with this change, we can provide the government with a significant return on investment, over 500%, in terms of reducing the overall burden on the health care system. We can move somebody with a chronic condition from sedentary to physically active, inspiring Canadians to take proactive steps toward their own health and wellness.
We will get many of our young people back to work. Our industry employs many young people. We have college and university programs across the country that do a fabulous job of creating fitness professionals. They will have a viable industry to enter, and we'll get many of our folks we've had to lay off back to work. We will rebuild our industry.
As I mentioned earlier, we have incurred significant amounts of debt. Many operators are now well over $200,000 to $250,000 in debt. By adding fitness as a tax deduction, we believe we can get more people into our industry to help us pay back those debt amounts.
In summary, we're here today to be part of the solution. We'd like to partner with government, and we look forward to answering any questions you may have.
View Carla Qualtrough Profile
Lib. (BC)
Thank you very much.
Mr. Chair, members of the committee, thank you for inviting me to join you again today.
Today, as was said, I'll be speaking to the supplementary estimates (C) for 2020-21, and the main estimates for 2021-22 for Employment and Social Development Canada.
The supplementary estimates (C) for 2020-21 request an additional $225 million in voted authorities, offset by a decrease of $708 million in statutory authorities. This decrease is due primarily to updated forecasts for the Canada emergency response benefit and the Canada emergency student benefit.
The 2021-22 main estimates present planned expenditures of $82.4 billion, which is an increase of $13.8 billion from the original planned budgetary expenditures for 2020-21.
Let me explain.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, our government has provided significant support to Canadians. In the Fall 2020 Economic Statement, we outlined our plan to enable a strong recovery in Canada. The requested funding will help us put that plan into action.
The main estimates include funding for our Canada recovery benefits. The supplementary estimates (C) include funding to support students, to improve youth programming and to improve gender and diversity outcomes and skills programming. They also include funding for Canadians with disabilities.
Let me provide you with more details.
Within weeks of the first lockdown, we set up the CERB, a keystone piece of economic support that helped more than eight million Canadians.
This past summer and fall, we outlined our plan to continue to support the nation's workforce throughout the pandemic. We transitioned the CERB to a simplified employment insurance program and introduced the Canada Recovery Benefit to provide income support to workers still affected by COVID-19.
For Canadians who didn't qualify for EI, like the self-employed and those in the gig economy, we introduced a complementary new suite of recovery benefits: the Canada recovery benefit, the Canada recovery sickness benefit, and the Canada recovery caregiving benefit.
At the time, we said we would monitor labour market changes and make adjustments as needed. We've done that and are following through on our commitment to continue to provide certainty for workers.
That is why, on February 20, we introduced Bill C-24 to temporarily increase the maximum number of weeks available for regular EI benefits. We also plan to increase the number of weeks available for the Canada Recovery Benefit through regulation.
Today, through the main estimates, we are requesting an increase totalling $10.3 billion for the three temporary recovery benefits so that we can continue to support workers.
Next, I'd like to speak to the impact the pandemic has had on Canada's young people. Many have faced financial hardships and lost employment opportunities. As a government, we stepped up to support them. One of the first things we did was to put a pause on student loan repayments. We then introduced a comprehensive emergency package for students and young Canadians, which included boosts to job programs, direct income support, and increased financial assistance through grants and loans.
We know how important education is. Students have told us loud and clear that they want more financial support.
Now let's talk about job creation. We are committed to creating a million jobs, restoring employment to pre-pandemic levels, making the largest training investment in Canadian history and creating opportunities for young people. We are focused on strengthening workers' futures by ensuring they have the skills they need for the changing nature of work and the labour market.
We will do this by using several tools, including immediate training to allow workers to gain skills quickly. We also plan to enhance youth programs and improve gender equality outcomes, as well as diversify skills development programs. For example, we will significantly expand the Youth Employment and Skills Strategy to provide more paid employment opportunities for young Canadians who face barriers to entering the labour market.
This year, the Canada summer jobs program is aiming to have a total of 120,000 jobs for students. That's 50% more than last year.
For persons with disabilities, the pandemic has been particularly difficult and has exacerbated barriers to inclusion. We've taken a disability-inclusive approach to our pandemic response from the start to ensure that whatever we do will help persons with disabilities. The supplementary estimates (C) provide funding for a targeted one-time payment of up to $600 to help Canadians with disabilities with the extra expenses incurred during the pandemic.
There's still a lot to do. That's where our plan for inclusion of people with disabilities comes in.
We're working on a plan that will include a new disability benefit modelled after the GIS for seniors, a robust employment strategy and a better process to determine eligibility for government disability programs and benefits.
In conclusion, I would like to thank you for your attention to these estimates. I'd also like to take the opportunity to thank you all for your and your respective party's support and consent in the House during the most challenging times of the crisis, times when Canadians have needed help the most and we have come together.
Together, we can give Canadians the support they need to get through the pandemic.
I would be happy to answer your questions now.
View Michael Barrett Profile
CPC (ON)
Craig Kielburger
View Craig Kielburger Profile
Craig Kielburger
2021-03-15 16:32
No, no, no. That's actually not correct. No, no, no. Nothing regarding the Canada student service grant, but we spoke to Minister Chagger about the proposal that we had been talking about regarding unemployment. I absolutely brought that up with her.
Craig Kielburger
View Craig Kielburger Profile
Craig Kielburger
2021-03-15 16:32
And youth entrepreneurship. Yes, youth social entrepreneurship is what it was titled.
View Tim Louis Profile
Lib. (ON)
I appreciate that. Thank you.
I'm going to switch topics. I have only a few minutes here.
Something that's important to me—I know you feel the same way—is hearing from our next generation of agriculture workers, our young farmers. I'm honoured to have met some of these bright, young, inspiring minds, as I'm sure so many of our colleagues have.
We've seen that as Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food you've taken up the cause of young people in our sector with a lot of interest. I know that you've formed a youth council and you're investing in a youth employment and skills strategy. I was wondering if you could talk about that youth strategy, what kinds of funds have been invested and the importance of having young agriculture sector voices at the table and on the farm.
View Marie-Claude Bibeau Profile
Lib. (QC)
Actually, when I entered into this position—two years ago already—I noticed that the leaders or the people representing the different associations were mainly experienced men. As the first female Minister of Agriculture in Canada, I thought I would have a role to play in encouraging them to bring women and young farmers around their decision-making table. I wanted to lead by example by creating the youth council. I can't tell you how impressed I am with these young leaders. They very soon got organized. They are already working on a strategic plan. It's wonderful to work with them.
Regarding the youth program, we actually increased the financing last year, and still this year in a significant way to support all our young people who are going through a tough time because of COVID. Last year we were able to provide agricultural jobs, 1,400 good jobs in the agricultural sector, for young people who are really interested in making agriculture their career.
This is something I'm very excited about. We know that we have to encourage and to make all the work related to agriculture more visible and recognized. I think this is a good program to face labour shortages but also to get more young people in the sector.
View Francis Drouin Profile
Lib. (ON)
Okay.
In the youth employment and skills strategy, I see a budgeted amount of $5,064,000, to which $3.2 million is now being added.
Why the addition? Is it because you are anticipating greater demand or was it already planned?
Christine Walker
View Christine Walker Profile
Christine Walker
2021-03-11 17:13
Thank you very much for the question.
The amount is not a new amount. When we received the funds for the program, we received them in statutory authorities because of the Public Health Events of National Concern Payments Act. That act was repealed in December 2020, so we are transferring the funds from the statutory authorities to our voted authorities so that they're available for spending until March 31.
It's simply a transfer between the statutory authorities and the voted contributions.
View Christine Normandin Profile
BQ (QC)
Thank you so much.
I also wanted to talk about international students, but perhaps from another angle.
We often hear about the difficulties universities face when they want to hire people, especially for practicums or co-op programs. LMIAs and work permits require a lot of paperwork. However, in this instance, the work is usual part-time and covers a short period. This makes things hard for employers who wish to keep employees that have already learned French, been trained and are integrated, as well as for students who, because of the bureaucracy-heavy programs, find us less appealing.
Have you looked at this issue?
What improvements can we hope for in the future?
Caroline Xavier
View Caroline Xavier Profile
Caroline Xavier
2021-03-10 18:50
Thank you for the question.
As you've said, international students continue to be a very important immigration source. We want to carry on encouraging these students to see Canada as an education destination. We have excellent education institutions here in Canada. We are renowned for the quality of teaching offered in our universities and our CEGEPS.
As to the application process that the students must follow, improvements could be made easily, given that applications are submitted electronically.
I don't know if I'm answering your question, so I will ask Ms. Giles to talk to you about certain restrictions. She may have more information on the subject.
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