SoVote

Mr. Irek Kusmierczyk (Windsor—Tecumseh, Lib.)

Dec/13/21 2:00:28 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, 40 years ago today, at midnight, the communist dictatorship in Poland declared martial law. Tanks and soldiers filled the streets. Communications were cut to the outside world. Minutes after midnight, armed secret police arrived at our family’s door in Poland and arrested my father. Like thousands of members of Solidarnosc, the first free and independent trade union in the Soviet bloc, he was imprisoned without trial. Families were left wondering for weeks whether the arrested were alive or dead. After the crackdown, Canada opened its doors to over 6,000 Polish immigrants and political refugees like my family, who shared their talents and energy to build communities across Canada, while never forgetting the struggle in their homeland. This evening, on the 40th anniversary of the imposition of martial law, Polish Canadians across Canada will light a candle in their window representing the light of freedom, to show solidarity with those who fought for democracy then and solidarity with those around the world fighting for freedom, democracy and human rights today.

174 words

Context: House Hansard - 16 - Dec/13/21

Mr. Irek Kusmierczyk (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion, Lib.)

Dec/13/21 7:39:29 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I congratulate the member for Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup on his re-election and very much look forward to working with him in the House of Commons. Earlier this month, Statistics Canada announced that the unemployment rate had decreased to 6%, within 0.3 percentage points of February 2020 levels. As our pandemic recovery continues, employers across the country are seeking to hire in increasing numbers. Quebec, however, continues to experience workforce recruitment challenges, which predated the pandemic and have only been exacerbated over the past year. That is why I am happy to highlight progress on the implementation of our government's pilot project with the Government of Quebec to provide the province's employers with temporary measures under the temporary foreign worker program. As part of this collaborative effort, first announced in August of this year, a measure designed to streamline advertising recruitment requirements for specific in-demand occupations was implemented on December 6. The Government of Canada has also committed to implementing additional measures as early as January 2022, including an increase in the maximum number of temporary foreign workers that employers in specific sectors can hire. The occupations and sectors selected by Quebec for this pilot have been identified following consultations with labour market stakeholders as part of the Commission des partenaires du marché du travail. This was done to ensure that the flexibilities established under the pilot project are representative of labour market needs in the province and do not displace opportunities for Canadian workers. In addition to these measures and as part of this initiative, the governments of Canada and Quebec, in consultation with Quebec labour market partners, will also be adding to the list of occupations that are currently benefiting from a simpler process to hire TFWs. These additional flexibilities are expected to be introduced in early 2022. The implementation of these key measures under this pilot project with the Government of Quebec signals the important progress the Government of Canada is making to balance flexibilities under the temporary foreign worker program with the labour needs of Quebec employers. Access to temporary foreign workers is an important element of the shorter-term labour market strategy for many employers. As Canada continues on the road to economic recovery, our government will continue to help ensure that workforce recruitment needs are being met, all while ensuring the health and safety of temporary foreign workers. We will keep working with our Quebec counterparts and we will do what needs to be done to ensure Quebec gets the workers it needs.

435 words

Context: House Hansard - 16 - Dec/13/21

Mr. Irek Kusmierczyk

Dec/13/21 7:42:43 p.m.
Watch

Mr. Speaker, our government recognizes the importance of balancing the labour needs of employers and ensuring that workers in Canada have first access to available jobs, while protecting the rights and health and safety of temporary foreign workers. That is why our government has been working with the Government of Quebec to find ways to address its labour shortages and prevent companies from relocating or investing elsewhere, while protecting workers in the economy. This pilot project with the Government of Quebec will allow for short-term flexibilities from employers under the TFW program to address these labour shortages. The progress of the pilot project and its impacts will be monitored to ensure the improvements made to the program work for employers, workers and the Canadian economy.

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