MP Soroka Questions the Minister on Labour Shortages

OTTAWA – Gerald Soroka, Member of Parliament for Yellowhead stood in the House today and asked the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion:

“Mr. Gerald Soroka (Yellowhead, CPC): Mr. Speaker, there is a massive shortage of labour across this country, especially in my riding. Local and small businesses in Edson and Hinton are challenged to fill positions in convenience, clothing and hardware stores, to name a few. Small businesses are major contributors to local employment and they are hurting. Some have closed, others have even lost their businesses.

When will the Liberal government start making all local and small businesses a priority in our communities?”

Minister’s response:

“Mr. Speaker, small businesses are absolutely a priority of our government. In fact, it is thanks to them that Canada gained 154,000 jobs last month. Our employment rate has gone down for the sixth consecutive month in a row, and in fact, we have gained 106% of the jobs lost during the pandemic.

We do have labour shortages. We have a plan to address them. We have made the largest investment in training, we are investing in child care, we are investing in youth employment and we are investing in bringing talented workers to Canada. We will not rest until we address this.”

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