Canada's largest labour organization is urging Finance Minister Ralph Goodale to make jobs the focus of his upcoming Budget.

Goodale announced yesterday the minority Martin government's first Budget will be tabled in the House of Commons February 23rd.

The Canadian Labour Congress says there are 1.2 million Canadians who want to work but don't have a job.

"The public sector that has been driving job creation for the past year

is softening. New jobs are being created in manufacturing but we are still

86,000 jobs short of the employment level in that sector in November 2002. And the high dollar is now hitting the "information, culture and recreation" sector that has lost 36,000 jobs since August. What else does the Minister of Finance need to squarely announce that this year's federal budget must be about creating family-supporting jobs for Canadians?" CLC president Ken Georgetti said.

CLC economist Andrew Jackson says the unemployment figures underline the weakness of the job market. He points out that job losses were recorded among young people and adult women, and paid employment fell by 24,000. Public sector employment fell by 48,000 led by a loss of 14,000 health and social services jobs. Jackson says the number of health and social services jobs has remained unchanged in the past year.

The CLC says a job-creating agenda that includes child care, workplace skills, urban infrastructure, and implementation of the Kyoto climate change accord would provide a much-needed boost to the job market in the next 12 months.