While Liberals are working with representatives of different economic sectors on Parliament Hill to develop new job creation strategies, Liberal MP John McCallum is asking about the Conservative job creation record.
“We’re making jobs our number one priority,” said Mr. McCallum. “This recession won’t really be over until the 320,000 Canadians who lost their jobs since it began find new, quality job opportunities.”
“Youth unemployment is the highest it has been in years – double average of the national unemployment rate,” Mr. McCallum continued. “There have been severe reductions in manufacturing shift hours which means less take-home income and a lower standard of living.
“If the House was sitting today, I would ask the government why they refuse to focus their resources on developing long-term, quality jobs in manufacturing, forestry, life-sciences, environmental and information technology?”
Led by Mr. McCallum, the Liberal caucus is hearing from representatives of the manufacturing, natural resources, youth employment and high tech/clean energy sectors.
“We’re at work on Parliament Hill today to get the best advice on how to replace the jobs we’ve lost in this economic restructuring with the kind of jobs we can build our future around,” said Mr. McCallum. “We’re asking representatives from each sector to tell us the number one thing we can do to create the best new jobs.”
A recent Canadian Venture Capital Association report showed that between 2003 and 2007, companies backed by venture capital in emerging sectors in life-sciences, clean energy and environmental technologies, software and information technology had an average annual employment growth rate of 17.1 percent.
“Mr. Harper has been content with part-time, self-employed, and reduced hour job growth,” concluded Mr. McCallum. “Instead, we should be taking steps as a country right now to make sure the next generation of high quality jobs are created here, in Canada.”
Background Facts
323,000 Canadians still haven’t found employment since the crash happened since October 2008. Some sectors – manufacturing in particular – are still suffering from the loss of 220,000 jobs lost since October 2008
The unemployment rate for youths (18-24) remains 16.1 percent, double the national average:
Joblessness only tells half of the story. Quality of jobs is a major emerging economic issue.
Not only are there fewer jobs in the Canadian economy, but the number of hours worked per job has been on the decline. Reductions in shift length in the manufacturing sector translates into less take-home income and a lower standard of living:
Another indicator of the quality of jobs is reflected in self-employment. Self-employed labour is on the rise, because too many Canadians have lost their permanent employment:
Meanwhile, too much of Canada’s job growth is part-time, due to a corresponding loss in full-time jobs:
