BILL C-209

SHORT TITLE

INTERPRETATION

FULL EMPLOYMENT POLICY

(a) give priority to the undertaking of sufficient measures to achieve full employment in Canada; and

(b) establish programs that ensure that employment opportunities are available to all adult Canadians who seek work.

FULL EMPLOYMENT PLAN

(a) an expanded national infrastructure program that would include improvements to the present passenger rail system in Canada, a national information network utilizing central data banks and co-operative housing;

(b) an environmental awareness program that would promote the goal of sustainable development through new environmental technologies, sewage treatment facilities and energy efficiency programs;

(c) a review of existing trade policy including the termination of the Canada-United States Free Trade Agreement and the North American Free Trade Agreement, the development of a value-added export economy to broaden resource-based exports, diversification of trade to lessen our reliance on American trade, the protection of workers, consumers and the environment, the development of sectoral agreements and a renewed commitment to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade;

(d) an investment policy that includes the right to review and regulate foreign investment in Canada, a national investment fund that operates at arms-length from the government and an elimination of corporations' rights to deduct interest expenses from taxable income;

(e) a research and development policy that includes improvements to technology transfer, a requirement that foreign-owned corporations locate research and development activities within Canada and the augmentation of government funding for research and development to a level comparable with Japan and Germany;

(f) a comprehensive training policy that includes funding to promote the training of employed workers, the development of sectoral training boards and the retraining of workers under threat of lay-off before the lay-off occurs;

(g) a national policy on education that includes a national council on education which would examine all issues relevant to education, stabilized funding for post secondary education, measures to ease the transition from school to work such as an improved apprenticeship system and career information in the higher grades and improved literacy programs;

(h) immediate measures to address youth unemployment that include the establishment of a national youth service to give young people useful employment and life experience;

(i) initiatives to facilitate community development including the settlement of aboriginal land claims so that aboriginal people may develop their own communities on the basis of self-government, a community bond program to assist rural community development, the local control of resources through a consultation process, a community reserve fund to assist in the diversification of local resource-based economies, extension services such as management skills, promotion, education and research for co-operative and community development and an investment program for community development initiatives;

(j) measures to assist resource-based industries such as farming, fishing, forestry and mining that would include the incorporation of both local control and sustainable development;

(k) a thorough review of the existing tax system that would include viable alternatives to the Goods and Services Tax, a review of tax loopholes, the elimination of the lifetime capital gains tax exemption, a reasonable tax on private trusts, the strengthening of tax enforcement, the taxing of corporate relocation outside of Canada, the establishment of tax measures to ensure that wealthy Canadians and profitable corporations pay a proportionate share of tax and taxes that would discourage behaviour that harms the environment;

(l) strengthened support to existing social programs such as health care and the creation of new social programs such as a national child care program;

(m) comprehensive adjustment measures for workers such as the establishment of a mandatory job vacancy registry and job matching system through Canada Employment Centres and the establishment of adjustment committees for employees in positions where significant lay-offs are anticipated, to facilitate counselling, retraining and employment services for workers who are or may be laid off;

(n) measures to create a co-determinant work environment including the participation of workers and businesses as partners in the workplace and the facilitation of employee ownership if appropriate;

(o) protection of worker entitlements such as respect for seniority, pensions and other worker benefits and amendments to regulations under the Unemployment Insurance Act to remove provisions that classify severance pay and pensions as earnings;

(p) the strengthening of provisions of the Employment Equity Act so that women, visible minorities, aboriginal people and the disabled achieve representative and equitable participation in the labour market;

(q) measures that would encourage a truly consensual discourse between government, business and labour leading to the implementation of co-operative, long range economic planning;

(r) examination of the impact of all federal fiscal policies on employment, including the mandate of the Bank of Canada;

(s) consideration of a review process for all government programs which have an impact on employment, to ensure full employment;

(t) consideration of the establishment of a department of full employment that would include a mandate to achieve full employment;

(u) a series of conferences of First Ministers to discuss jurisdictional considerations regarding proposals concerning full employment; and

(v) any other measures which may be deemed viable to the goal of promoting full employment.

COMMITTEE REVIEW

PLAN FOR IMPLEMENTATION

ANNUAL REVIEW