Human Resources Committee on June 18th, 2012

[Alexis Conrad]

Essentially, I deal with a lot of the program policy files that cross different areas of our branch or department. It's a very bureaucratic term for working well with others and coordinating.

[Phil McColeman, Conservative, Brant, ON]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, Ed Komarnicki]

Thank you.

We'll move now to Mr. Cuzner.

[Rodger Cuzner, Liberal, Cape Breton—Canso, NS]

Thanks very much. Thank you for being here today.

There are 250,000 unfilled jobs in Canada right now. With regard to the recent changes to the EI, how many jobs do you feel will be filled as a result of these changes? Would you have done an analysis prior to motivate the changes?

[Yves Gingras]

No, I don't think we have a number to offer to you.

[Rodger Cuzner, Liberal, Cape Breton—Canso, NS]

Okay, so you haven't done an analysis there.

[Yves Gingras]

We have done lots of analysis on the proposed changes. I don't think we could offer you a specific number. The changes that are made are going in the direction of supporting adjustments, reducing unemployment spells, and making sure people go back to work more quickly. I don't think we have quantified the impact in that manner.

[Rodger Cuzner, Liberal, Cape Breton—Canso, NS]

Thank you.

The study that you undertook about mobility, moving people from Atlantic Canada and Quebec to job openings in the west, where would that have been initiated? Where would the impetus for that study have been initiated?

[Yves Gingras]

I'm not aware of the study you're referring to. I would be surprised that.... I'm not aware of that study.

[Rodger Cuzner, Liberal, Cape Breton—Canso, NS]

You're not aware of that study.

There are about 130,000 unemployed Canadians in Alberta and Saskatchewan, more than in the Atlantic provinces combined. Is there any kind of study that's ongoing now as to how we can train Albertans and Saskatchewanians to take those jobs, as opposed to movement? Is there anything ongoing now?

[Alexis Conrad]

Certainly a lot of our focus has been on where we transfer money to provinces to allow them to invest in their own local labour market priorities to retrain and to upskill people who have either suffered job loss or are not firmly attached to the labour market, so that they can move into areas and jobs where there are actually vacancies.

[Rodger Cuzner, Liberal, Cape Breton—Canso, NS]

There's no current, real, major study going on as to how to move that group of people, those 130,000, toward.... Would that be an ongoing thing, or not really?

You're not involved in that, anyway. Would that be more provincial? Okay.

There's just one case in point, and it's as much cautionary as anything. In the backgrounder that was provided with regard to the recent EI changes, the department came forward with a number of examples.

There was one example that struck me—the one about the unemployed nannies collecting EI in Ontario. The number of nannies collecting EI was about the same as the number of temporary workers who are currently doing that job. But with the changes to the EI, you guys wouldn't be able to get a fix as to whether or not those nannies live within a one-hour radius or anything like that...?

Here's the concern. What struck me was that the information and the examples coming out of the department were somewhat misleading. They would paint the picture that there are 700 nannies sort of sitting around while 700 temporary foreign workers assume those jobs. Do you see the concern I would have with trying to paint that picture?

[The Chair, Conservative, Ed Komarnicki]

I'm not sure if you would be comfortable answering that or not, but if you wish to answer it, go ahead. I think we're straying a bit from the object of our study—

[Rodger Cuzner, Liberal, Cape Breton—Canso, NS]

Well—

[The Chair, Conservative, Ed Komarnicki]

—but I'll leave it to you as to whether you wish to answer it or not.

[Alexis Conrad]

To be honest, I haven't seen the exact example you're referring to, so it would be difficult—

[The Chair, Conservative, Ed Komarnicki]

So it's a hypothetical—

[Rodger Cuzner, Liberal, Cape Breton—Canso, NS]

With those examples—

[Alexis Conrad]

It would be difficult to comment—

[Rodger Cuzner, Liberal, Cape Breton—Canso, NS]

You haven't seen those examples? They were part of the announcement of the EI changes—

[A voice]

[Inaudible—Editor]...the study—

[The Chair, Conservative, Ed Komarnicki]

Just a moment.

Go ahead.

[Kellie Leitch, Conservative, Simcoe—Grey, ON]

There are specific assistant and associate deputy ministers who are responsible for employment insurance. If we do end up going down that path at some point in time, I would encourage the member to ask these questions of that individual as opposed to these individuals here, who are here with respect to the specific study.

[The Chair, Conservative, Ed Komarnicki]

Yes, I've considered that.

My view is that you're going to a place where I don't think it's fair for these witnesses to answer, so I would rule it out of order.

If you want to reframe that, go ahead, but—

[Rodger Cuzner, Liberal, Cape Breton—Canso, NS]

Mr. Chair, with absolute respect, we know the minister has said that because of the “unprecedented skills shortages, it will be critical to better connect Canadians with available jobs” and has announced “improvements to EI that will help Canadians who want to get work, get back to work”. So—