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Ottawa, Ontario
Thank you.
It’s good to be with you again this year.
This meeting seems to get bigger every time I’m here. That’s a credit to Bob Blakely and his team. Congratulations.
Let me tell you, when you’re standing up here, looking across this room, you see the strength of the labour movement in this country. We feel it on Parliament Hill, too.
We need a strong labour movement. We have a strong labour movement. And I want to thank you for being the men and women who literally build our country.
Your theme this week is: “Take it back: Winning in today’s economy.”
You’re sending a message that we heard loud and clear a few months ago at Canada at 150, our conference in Montréal.
On the very first day, we had a presentation from Rick Miner, the former president of Seneca College, in Toronto. He talked about the paradox of unemployment and labour shortages—“jobs without people, people without jobs.”
In 2017, Canada’s 150th birthday, we’re going to have 750,000 jobs without skilled labour in this country. We’re going to have a million unskilled workers without jobs.
And we know what the answers are: training and mobility.
We need to get the right training and the right skills to the places they’re needed most. We’ve got to do everything in our power to avoid a situation where we have skilled labour shortages in Alberta, for example, and skilled workers without jobs in other provinces.
This isn’t just a problem for trade unions or employers. It’s a problem for our entire economy, and for every level of government.
Mobilité de la main-d’œuvre. Développement des compétences. Ce sont des défis pancanadiens qui commandent des solutions pancanadiennes. Et une solution pancanadienne commence avec un premier ministre qui comprend son rôle : réunir les décideurs, élaborer des objectifs communs et créer un espace pour qu’on puisse travailler ensemble dans le respect de chacun.
We need to work together to improve labour mobility in this country. I’ve heard that from you, and I agree.
We need to make it easier for skilled workers to get where the jobs are, and where we need them to be.
We need the federal government to bring the players together—labour, the private sector, the provinces and territories—bring everybody together and figure out how we improve labour mobility in this country, so that our people find the jobs they need, and our businesses find the workers they need.
I’m here to tell you: under a Liberal government, we will get it done.
But there’s an even bigger challenge here, one you’ve identified, as well—and that’s making sure our people have the skills we need to compete for the jobs of tomorrow.
My party’s number one priority is learning, and learning is central to meeting the workforce challenge.
At the heart of our next platform will be a pan-Canadian learning plan.
Help provide early learning and childcare for every family that wants it.
Close the gaps in Aboriginal access and achievement.
Fight illiteracy as a national priority.
Invest in language training for new Canadians.
And help families pay for the cost of higher education or skills training.
That’s how we help our people get the skills they need for the jobs of tomorrow.
Unions provide great training: I’ve seen it myself—at the Carpenters, at the Electricians. Great work. Demanding, too. I’m not sure I’d quality.
We need to build on your example, and invest in our kids—and our colleges. You understand this better than anyone. Great institutions like Humber College in my own riding are training the next generation of skilled workers, the people we need to keep our country strong.
We need to support those students. We need to support those colleges. We need to create more spots in programs that are training the next generation of electrical workers and operating engineers and construction workers. And under a Liberal government, we will.
And you know, and I know, that it isn’t just a matter of opening up spots in the programs. Those students need to be able to train on professional-grade equipment—like sub-arc welders and cranes—so they’re ready for the workforce when they graduate.
And we had a program up and running to help colleges get that equipment, set up by the former Liberal government, in the 2005 budget: the Training Centre Infrastructure Fund.
What did the Conservatives do? They cancelled it. That was wrong. You’ve said so. I agree.
Another thing I’ve heard from you is that we need federal leadership to set standardized rules for contractors and subcontractors. The federal government should review the rules for federal contracts, so we can make sure that subcontractors get paid by the people who hire them.
You know that this is a problem we’ve overlooked for too long, and I agree.
I have one final point, about pensions. You know, because you’re on the front lines, that we already have a pensions crisis in this country.
One-third of Canadians don’t have enough retirement savings to maintain their standard of living. Another third don’t have any retirement savings at all, beyond what they’ll get from the government.
And, in too many cases, as we’ve seen in the past year, the retirement income that Canadians thought they could count on isn’t there when they need it most.
We’ve called on the government to make pensions and retirement savings more secure. We’ve proposed a Supplementary CPP, a Stranded Pensions Agency, and changes to the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act to protect pensioners on long-term disability.
The Conservatives promised action in last year’s budget. Then they promised to start consultations—in this year’s budget.
The time for talk is over. The time to act is now. And my party stands with you in the fight for pension security for Canadian workers.
These are the choices we’ll make. This is what a Liberal alternative will look like. And we will present to Canadians at the next election a set of policy that advances these priorities—the priorities that you and I share.
The Conservatives, we know, have made a different choice. They aren’t investing in learning and innovation, any more than they are in pensions and healthcare, or in Canadian leadership.
Don’t get me wrong—they’re spending plenty of money. But there’s no vision. There’s no ambition for the country, only for themselves.
These guys have given us a 56 billion dollar deficit, and we’ve got nothing in return.
It’s half the leadership, at twice the price.
Starting next year, Stephen Harper promises deep cuts to our public services, but he won’t say what they are.
He’s also bringing in a 13 billion dollar payroll tax increase, which will cost more than 200,000 jobs.
And here’s the best part: When we’re in a 56 billion dollar hole, when we’ve got an ageing population and skills shortages, he wants to rush ahead with more tax cuts for corporations.
Well I’m here to tell you—right now, this country can’t afford it. And there are 56 billion reasons why.
A Liberal government would make a different choice.
We’d freeze corporate taxes where they are, because they’re already competitive: the lowest in the G7, and 25 percent lower than the Americans.
And you know why? Because Jean Chrétien cut corporate taxes. Paul Martin cut corporate taxes. Our corporate tax rates are competitive because of Liberal prudence—and we’re proud of that achievement.
And let me be clear: We will cut corporate taxes again. But not until this country can afford it.
And in the meantime, our plan will free up billions of dollars to pay down the deficit, and make investments to build our future.
Les Canadiens font face à un choix clair.
D’un côté, le gouvernement conservateur qui fonce aveuglément avec des baisses d’impôt pour les grandes corporations, alors que nous n’avons pas les moyens de les payer.
De l’autre, l’alternative que représente le Parti libéral du Canada.
Nous, nous allons geler les impôts des sociétés. Ils sont déjà parmi les plus bas au monde. Nous ne les baisserons pas davantage, tant que nous n’aurons pas équilibré le budget et fait les investissements nécessaires pour l’avenir du Canada.
Canadians will have a clear choice at the next election.
On one hand, we have a Conservative government that’s rushing blindly ahead with tax cuts for corporations we can’t afford.
On the other hand, we’re offering an alternative.
We’ll freeze corporate taxes where they are, and we won’t cut them again until we’ve balanced the budget and made necessary investments in Canada’s future.
We believe that’s the responsible choice. We believe it’s the right choice for our future. And the Liberal Party of Canada will always, always keep faith with that future—a future worthy of this great country, and the dreams we hold for our children.
Thank you.
