Evidence of meeting #30 for Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities in the 41st Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was centres.

A recording is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Jeffrey Cyr  Executive Director, National Association of Friendship Centres
Karen Lior  Executive Director, Toronto Workforce Innovation Group
Judith Andrew  Commissioner for Employers, Canada Employment Insurance Commission, Department of Employment and Social Development
Joyce Reynolds  Executive Vice-President, Government Affairs, Restaurants Canada
Alain Noël  Professor, Department of Political Science, Université de Montréal, As an Individual

10 a.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Phil McColeman

Mr. Noel, do you have a response?

10 a.m.

Professor, Department of Political Science, Université de Montréal, As an Individual

Alain Noël

I think that the federal government could play a role with respect to the dissemination of information on the practices used by the provinces.

Very often, the Europeans are more successful than we are in disseminating information, in the framework of an open coordination method which allows stakeholders to find out which practices are successful and how things are done here and there.

In Canada, it is often very difficult to find out exactly what is going on. Even for the officials who manage the programs in a province it is not easy to know exactly what is going on in the other provinces. The federal government could facilitate the circulation of information and of best practices.

10 a.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Phil McColeman

Thank you for that.

We'll move on to Mr. Cuzner now for three minutes.

10 a.m.

Liberal

Rodger Cuzner Liberal Cape Breton—Canso, NS

I thank the witnesses for their presentations today.

I'd like a quick point of clarification.

You mentioned the breakdown being 40-40-20, and you said that the federal government should return to that training formula. Where is it now, and how has that evolved over the last number of years?

10 a.m.

Commissioner for Employers, Canada Employment Insurance Commission, Department of Employment and Social Development

Judith Andrew

That was a comment about financing the system from employers overall. The federal government does not pay anything; employers pay 1.4 times what employees pay, so it's only a split between two of the three parties to this effort.

10 a.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Phil McColeman

I'm going to have to stop there, Mr. Cuzner.

I apologize. As you said, it might be imperfect and you would be the one most affected by the imperfection.

10 a.m.

Liberal

Rodger Cuzner Liberal Cape Breton—Canso, NS

Thanks very much, witnesses.

10 a.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Phil McColeman

On behalf of the committee, thank you for being here today. Your testimony is important to our study, and we'll be taking it into account as we move forward.

The meeting is adjourned.