Thank you, Madam Speaker. In July, Madam Speaker, we released a paper called Creating Choices: Solving the Income Support Puzzle, which emphasized the need for reform of our income support programs and to link income support programs to jobs and training, so that we could make the best use of available money. We have stated that we wanted to put a northern face on the national reform of social assistance and unemployment programs. We want to show leadership in this necessary reform effort and shift the focus of income support towards more community responsibility and choice. We also know that people want to see all of these programs available in one office, and Cabinet has given my department authority to negotiate a three-year labour force agreement, with the support of the federal government, which would help make that happen.
Further, Madam Speaker, in early August, the Honourable Ethel Blondin, Minister of State and myself, announced a two-year, $8 million cost-shared pilot program aimed at career counselling, job preparation, skill training and community works projects for employables on social assistance.
Madam Speaker, on Wednesday, October 5th, the Minister of Human Resources Development Canada, the Honourable Lloyd Axworthy, released a discussion paper on Improving Social Security Reform in Canada. The three main objectives of the reform being proposed are: helping Canadians find and keep employment; providing support for those most vulnerable; and, ensuring programs are fair, affordable and effective. The paper sets out what the federal government sees as the major issues and challenges for social security across Canada and emphasizes options for reform in three areas: working, learning and security.
This paper will be used by Minister Axworthy's department and the Standing Committee on Human Resources Development as the basis for public consultation over the next few months. Madam Speaker, I have already written the committee chair and invited the committee to visit and consult with people in the north. The federal government expects that the committee will report on the consultation in February, 1995, after which there would be formal discussions between federal, provincial and territorial governments. They anticipate that federal social security reform legislation will be introduced in the spring or fall of 1995.
The focus of this paper is on reforming federal programs: unemployment insurance; federal support for employment such as the Canadian jobs strategy program; support for post-secondary education through transfers to provinces and territories; the Canada student loans program, the Canada assistance plan; child benefits; and, vocational rehabilitation of disabled persons program. The paper emphasizes that reform is essential, given the fiscal realities facing governments in Canada. It states that there will not be any new money for new programs and that existing expenditures must be brought under control, and in some cases reduced.
To meet the objective of helping people find and keep jobs, the federal government is proposing that Canada needs to enhance career assessment and counselling, provide better labour market information and improve basic skill training. The paper says that employers have to play a greater role in training and we have to be innovative in our approaches. It also states that community and local needs have to be recognized, and that we have to eliminate inefficiencies and provide single-window offices for UI, training, social assistance and other labour market programs.
The federal paper also talks about designing a new employment insurance program which would provide basic insurance for occasional claimants and adjustment insurance for frequent claimants. It suggests a pilot approach to improve coverage of non-standard work and discusses questions regarding premium reduction and premium rebates for training.
To meet the needs of working parents, the federal government proposes to improve the access to child care. Federal officials have already had preliminary discussions with my department about our early childhood program and possibilities for increased federal support in the future.
The paper also recognizes that lifelong learning is key to economic success, and suggests possible approaches to maintaining a stable level of support for post-secondary education. It identifies school to work transition, making learning more portable, and taking full advantage of new learning technologies as ways of encouraging learning.
The federal government is also recognizing society's commitment to take care of the most vulnerable in society. As a result, they propose in this paper to remove barriers to work while ensuring support for persons unable to work. They are proposing to provide better support for low-income families with children, and increased access to employment services for people receiving social assistance.
Above all, the federal government is announcing that reform is essential and will occur. Last February, the federal budget included measures to reduce UI spending by $2.4 billion annually and noted that further significant savings in UI spending would result from social security reform. It has advised that social assistance payments will be capped, which will reduce payments to our government of an estimated $3 million over the next two years. The paper also proposes to cap financing for post-secondary education, which will result in increased tuition fees and the cost of education. However, the good news is that the federal government has committed to work with the provinces and territories to develop a process for discussions on social security reform. They want to enable governments to move forward with reform when the consultation is completed.
Income support reform is critical in the Northwest Territories, and we are developing an approach which recognizes the needs and priorities of people in communities. I will be tabling our government's discussion document and providing MLAs with a copy of the federal paper early next week. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
---Applause