Hon. Monte Solberg (Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, CPC)

Mr. Speaker, the other day Air Canada announced that 2,000 people were being laid off due to high fuel prices. The leader of the Liberal Party took that as a sign that he should now go out and propose to raise taxes on fuel even higher and drive up fuel costs.

Not only will this hammer airlines and manufacturing, the trucking industry, the shipping industry, certainly auto manufacturers, but it will hammer everyone who uses energy.

The Liberal carbon tax is well named because everything it touches turns to shift.

Hon. Monte Solberg (Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, CPC)

Mr. Speaker, we are always concerned whenever there is an accusation that temporary foreign workers are having their rights abused. In law, of course, they have the same rights as all Canadians.

This government has moved in a number of ways to ensure that those rights are protected, including providing them with information in their own language so they know who they can go to for help and establishing memorandums of understanding so we can share information with the provinces. The provinces have stepped up with more monitoring.

We are there to protect the rights of all Canadians as well as those rights of temporary foreign workers.

Hon. Monte Solberg (Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, CPC)

Mr. Speaker, the NDP plan would be devastating. In fact, that is why those members have not brought it forward thus far. They have had months to bring it forward. NDP members have so little faith in it that they keep delaying the debate.

What is surprising, though, is that the Bloc members seem to accept that this is an area of federal responsibility and they actually support it. That is very strange.

However, what would not help, of course, is to implement a carbon tax and raise the heating costs in all the day care centres across the country. That is the Liberal plan. We are not going to go there.

Hon. Monte Solberg (Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, CPC)

Mr. Speaker, not only are the Liberals going to take away the universal child care benefit and plunge 24,000 Canadian families into poverty but they are going to raise the GST. Now they want to raise the price of gasoline, home heating fuel, natural gas and electricity.

It sounds to me like the Liberals are very confused. Instead of launching an attack on poverty, they are launching an attack on the poor. Shame on them.

Hon. Monte Solberg (Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, CPC)

Mr. Speaker, the OECD lauded Canada for its efforts to help young people enter the workforce. Today they are employed at record levels. The incidences of long term unemployment are at record lows.

The good news is that, because of the new Canada student grant, no student in the future will ever be denied the chance to go to college, tech school or university. This government is getting the job done for Canada's young people.