7. Holds the view that a strong, open and competitive Internal Market acts as an essential part of Europe's response to the challenges of globalisation by promoting the competitiveness of European industry, reinforces incentives for foreign investments, and ensures consumers' rights in Europe; the external dimension should be taken into consideration by the Commission when adopting new Internal Market initiatives;

Mr. Chair, through our labour market initiative announced in budget 2007, we will make significant investments through negotiated agreements with provinces and territories to provide training and labour market programming to people not covered by employment insurance.

I would like to take this opportunity to highlight some of the ways in which these supplementary estimates enable the government to deliver on its budget commitments: making improvements to the temporary foreign worker program, $15.9 million; expanding the New Horizons for Seniors program, $8.2 million; improving labour market outcomes of aboriginal people, $4.9 million; providing domestic in-person service and a dedicated phone line for the foreign credential recognition office, $4.2 million; creating a new human resource sector council for the forestry industry, $0.3 million; enabling the transition from the national homelessness initiative to the new homeless ...[+++]ness partnering strategy, $25.1 million; supporting the delivery of the Transport Canada ecoAUTO rebate program, $6.3 million; delivering renovation program assistance for low-income households over the next two years, $181.9 million; creating affordable housing under the bilateral affordable housing agreements, $40.8 million.

The government is prepared to consider providing future growth in funding for labour market programs after consultations with provinces and territories on how best to make use of new investments in labour market training and ensure reporting and accountability to Canadians.

Ostensibly, it is for educational and charitable causes in timber-reliant communities, initiatives related to low income housing and disaster relief, and education and public interest projects addressing forest management issues, but it has been reported widely, and many of us I think agree, that this is really just a slush fund for electing more republican protectionists to Congress in the United States.

Commissioner BYRNE reported orally to the Council on the progress achieved so far in this issue, particularly in relation to the intentions outlined in the Commission Communication on the public health strategy, which briefly analyses health-related initiatives in other Community policies (such as single market, consumer protection, social policy, environment, research, ...[+++] enlargement).