Honourable senators, Bill S-256, the bill to develop a national framework for essential workforce skills, is a critical step in Senator Bellemare’s initiative to further debate on essential skills development in Canada. We need to move from a theoretical discussion to the development and implementation of a national framework, as provided for in the bill.

Senator Bellemare rightly said that we must resolve the issue of ensuring workforce skills are aligned with the needs of the labour market, while recognizing that the very content of essential skills evolves over time as technology changes.

The provinces and territories, together with universities, colleges and training institutions, are making considerable efforts to close the gap between what is being taught and what is expected in the labour market.

In Manitoba, for example, the Workforce Development Division adopts a holistic approach to respond to labour market needs by considering individual, employer and organizational barriers while also fostering and strengthening partnerships in the community.

It does so through different and complementary programs. Apprenticeship Manitoba, for example, is geared at helping new apprentices develop opportunities. Industry Services, for its part, works with key stakeholders in business, industry, labour and education to ensure Manitoba’s workforce is equipped for success. Finally, the Training and Employment Services program offers services such as career counselling, job search assistance, information about pre-employment preparation, career options, skills training and upgrading opportunities.

I think this discussion needs to go beyond just employment, however. First of all, essential skills include three key skills: literacy, numeracy, and problem solving in technology-rich environments, as my colleague, Senator Maltais, so aptly said.

As a joint study done by Statistics Canada and Employment and Social Development Canada rightly points out, these essential skills are useful in nearly all areas of life. The report states, and I quote:

These skills are considered key to that ability [to participate in society]: they provide a foundation for the development of other, higher-order cognitive skills, and are prerequisites for gaining access to, and understanding of, specific domains of knowledge. In addition, they are necessary in a broad range of contexts, from education, to work, to everyday life.

Two points from those findings stood out for me. First, in order to ensure that our institutions, our schools, colleges, universities and libraries are preparing people properly for technological change, we cannot overlook the importance of civic and social engagement. Basically, a framework for essential labour skills cannot overlook the fact that the workforce in question must also be made up of citizens, volunteers, parents and caregivers.

Second, although we do need to ensure that our college and university graduates are well equipped for the labour market, we must recognize that these graduates have already acquired many skills over the course of their studies. We are therefore dealing with helping people adapt or develop their skills to keep up with technological change. The difficulty of adapting to the frenetic pace of technological change is not limited to the labour market and is not experienced solely by our underqualified or overqualified graduates.

Technology has changed how we work, but it has also turned our way of life upside down. It has affected how we communicate, how we obtain and provide services, and how we inform ourselves. In short, we do not socialize in the same way, and those who do not develop certain essential skills will not only be excluded from the labour market, but also experience social exclusion. A society that is constantly and quickly evolving runs the very real risk of leaving behind those who are not able to keep up. The consequences can be serious, both for civic engagement and public health — and even for social peace.

A comprehensive international survey on adult literacy and life skills was conducted by several OECD countries, including Canada, which played a major role through Statistics Canada. This survey showed that adults who obtain low scores on several core competencies are more likely to have poorer outcomes, not only in education and the labour market, but also in other aspects of their lives, such as health and civic engagement.

For example, the survey showed that poor proficiency in numeracy skills and text comprehension are closely related to health in Canada, Norway and New Zealand. In those same three countries, low literacy and numeracy skills were related to a lower rate of participation in associative activities, meaning participation in a political organization, sports or recreation organization, cultural, education or hobby group, service club, community association, school group, or group associated with a community of worship. In short, this is both a human and an economic issue. Therefore, in our efforts to train workers who can use cutting-edge technology, we must not overlook a whole segment of the population that is still trying to master the basics of essential skills.

Understandably, given my concerns, I am strongly advocating for a national framework, as proposed in this bill. Piecemeal analyses and investments, based on the passing interests of a group or industry, could end up excluding the most vulnerable Canadians.

As part of Senator Bellemare’s inquiry on literacy and essential skills for the 21st century, she demonstrated that Canada is far from remarkable and that there are inequalities within Canada, from one province or territory to another. In my speech I talked about literacy and essential skills development from the perspective of official language minority communities. Aside from explaining the challenges faced by these unique communities, I wanted to show that there are as many literacy challenges as there are communities, and that these challenges are as varied as our country is diverse. There are also deep inequalities in terms of the services and resources available.

Bill S-256 takes these issues into account. The bill is drafted so as to encourage collaboration between federal, provincial and territorial governments as well as other stakeholders.

In clause 4(b), the bill calls on the minister of employment and social development to take into account the following in developing the framework:

[T]he importance of stakeholder participation in essential skills development, including that of employers and labour representatives.

I would note that, as written, the list is not exhaustive, and I believe that is as it should be. Of course, it is to be hoped that the minister would ensure the participation of other stakeholders, such as school and community stakeholders and groups working to integrate vulnerable populations, such as newcomers.

Clause 4(d) states that the minister must consider the following:

[T]he specific needs of the various regions and communities, including Indigenous communities, in relation to the development of essential workforce skills.

Also not exhaustive, this clause would mitigate some of the inequalities that years of research have identified. I would note that, in their report on first results from the programme for the international assessment of adult competencies in Canada, Statistics Canada, Employment and Social Development Canada and the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada identified immigrants and official language minority populations as two other special interest groups in addition to Indigenous peoples. At the very least, these two other groups should be involved in any initiative the minister undertakes in accordance with Bill S-256.

Honourable colleagues, in both this speech and the speech I gave during the inquiry into essential skills, I expressed my two main concerns: First, that the national program focuses only on the direct economic impact of essential skills and disregards social and personal impacts. Second, that the program also focuses more on the less costly development of the skills of a segment of the population that is already well off and well equipped, neglecting those who are struggling to achieve minimum levels of literacy and essential skills.

However, Bill S-256 doesn’t go into the substance of the issue. It creates a framework for having this discussion and provides the minister with the tools to have a broad and sustained discussion that results in a real impact. I fully support this bill, and I commend our colleague, the honourable Senator Bellemare for introducing it.

Thank you.

Certainly.

I did not have a chance to read the budget that was tabled today, but I thought that it included an initiative for workforce development. We will have to see what is in the budget and what exactly is being announced. I thought there was an initiative in the budget. I read about it in La Presse.

In my opinion, initiatives require the collaboration of industry, and universities, colleges and community groups must invest in promoting and developing essential skills frameworks. This is done regularly in education for all sorts of subjects, including language skills. Businesses and unions have good insights about essential skills.

I would like to talk to you about a project launched in the 1950s, which I find to be particularly interesting. Let’s say that I was fairly young at the time. This program still exists. It is the Red Seal program. This initiative was launched in the 1950s. Participants attending a national conference proposed that the provinces and territories examine the whole issue of having apprenticeships to enter the trades and the importance of ensuring workers had the mobility and solid skills to practice —

I will ask for five more minutes.

Again, this investment will come from various parties, not just the federal government. I think the national week will give community groups, universities, colleges and private companies the opportunity to emphasize how important essential skills development is to creating a better future for Canadians.

With pleasure.

My concern is based on the fact that, in the past, we have seen governments invest in employment and workforce development programs for one small segment of the population. There are also people who need a bit of help getting a job. There is a whole other segment of the population that gets neglected. I think it is very important to take that segment of the population into account and encourage those people to actively participate in social life. I think this can help them participate in social life. It will encourage them to find a job.