Minister of Labour and Social Security Pearnel Charles is assuring that the Canadian Overseas Employment Prog-ramme is a sound, viable avenue for jobs overseas, and is in good financial standing.

"The ministry is proud of its recruitment record and takes very seriously its responsibility to the workers and their employers," Charles said on Tuesday in the House of Representatives.

He was responding to a recent newspaper article, which he said "gave the impression that some of our overseas employers were refusing Jamaican workers because they are not suitable". He pointed out that no contact was made with the ministry for verification or clarification on the piece.

Charles added that the Jamaican liaison service in Canada, to which the article referred, protects the interests of workers and ensures that the employers receive value for money.

He said four per cent is deducted from the earnings of the workers to meet the administrative cost of services provided, including medical, legal and social welfare. The deduction is managed by a committee appointed by Cabinet, which includes representatives from the major trade unions, the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service, and the Attorney General's Department.

Additionally, he said, every two years, officers from the Auditor General's Department spend two weeks in Canada, auditing the programme. "No major issue has arisen over the years as the auditor general's report will attest, regarding the financial state of the programme," he told the House.

Turning to the reduction in surplus for 2009-2010, which was raised in the auditor general's report and referenced in the article, Charles said this was related mainly to the establishment of two new offices in British Columbia, and Nova Scotia.

"The objective is to take advantage of new job opportunities in these areas," he told the House.

Charles said that although these two offices will incur some initial outlay, over time, it is expected that current employment figures will be surpassed.

"Indeed, we have diversified the programme and are now dispatching workers to the health care, auto, mechanics, and hospitality sectors in Canada," he said.