Senator Housakos: This is a serious problem across the country. It requires more than just talking points. There are more than one million jobs unfilled across Canada and, according to Statistics Canada, there are record-high job vacancies in sectors all across our economy, including accommodation, food services, health care, construction, manufacturing and the retail sector. As we approach the holidays, it is traditionally one of the busiest times for small businesses and entrepreneurs. Yet, this year, we see countless examples of businesses cutting their hours and their days of operation per week because they can’t find enough workers. It is a problem right across this country.

Leader, can you tell these entrepreneurs why the Trudeau government didn’t think the severe labour shortage was worth mentioning in the Speech from the Throne last week or bringing forward a concrete plan for how to address this issue besides talking points?