Questions about broken election promises

Senator Enverga questions the Government Representative in the Senate about broken election promises

Small Business and Tourism

Employment Insurance

Hon. Tobias C. Enverga, Jr.: Honourable senators, my question is for the Leader of the Government, which I would like to be relayed to Minister Chagger. My question was supposed to be for yesterday.

My question for the minister concerns a promise made by the Liberal Party to small businesses during the election campaign that has since been broken.

The Liberal Party platform promised:

And to encourage companies to hire young Canadians for permanent positions, we will also offer a 12-month break on Employment Insurance premiums. We will waive employer premiums for all those between the ages of 18 and 24 who are hired into a permanent position in 2016, 2017, or 2018.

Just like the case with the promise to reduce the small business tax rate to 9 per cent, this commitment is nowhere to be found in the Liberal government’s recent budget.

Does the minister ever intend to follow through with this particular pledge, or is this a broken promise to our youth and the unemployed, or just another reason for the job-creating small businesses in this country to be profoundly disappointed in the Trudeau government?

Hon. Peter Harder (Government Representative in the Senate): I thank the honourable senator for his question and of course wish that he had had the time to ask the minister, because he would get a more charming and vigorous answer than he is about to get.

I would be happy to take the question as presented to the minister and invite her response.