An Act to amend the Employment Insurance Act (Employment Insurance Account and premium rate setting) and another Act in consequence

This bill was last introduced in the 39th Parliament, 2nd Session, which ended in September 2008.

This bill was previously introduced in the 39th Parliament, 1st Session.

Sponsor

Raynald Blais  Bloc

Introduced as a private member’s bill. (These don’t often become law.)

Status

Defeated, as of Nov. 28, 2007
(This bill did not become law.)

Summary

This is from the published bill.

This enactment amends the method for setting the premium rate in the Employment Insurance Act. It also amends a number of provisions in that Act with respect to the Employment Insurance Account.
This enactment provides that every year the Canada Employment Insurance Commission will set the premium rate and cause a report to be sent to the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development who will cause a copy of the report to be laid before each House of Parliament.
This enactment provides also that the Employment Insurance Account will no longer form part of the accounts of Canada. The amounts paid into the Employment Insurance Account will become part of the assets of the Canada Employment Insurance Commission, and the Commission will manage them in the best interests of the contributors and beneficiaries under the employment insurance system.
At the request of the Minister of Finance, the Canada Employment Insurance Commission may extend a loan to Her Majesty in right of Canada and establish the interest rate and other terms and conditions for its repayment. Conversely, that Minister must extend a loan to the Commission if the Commission is unable to pay the amounts that it is liable to pay.
Under the enactment, the Canada Employment Insurance Commission is composed of 17 commissioners, including a Chairperson, two Vice-Chairpersons, seven representatives of employees and seven representatives of employers. The representatives of employees and employers are appointed by the Governor in Council from lists of nominees provided by representative associations. The Chairperson is appointed by the House of Commons and the Vice-Chairpersons are selected from among the Deputy Ministers or the Associate Deputy Ministers of the Department of Human Resources Development.

Elsewhere

All sorts of information on this bill is available at LEGISinfo, an excellent resource from the Library of Parliament. You can also read the full text of the bill.

Votes

Nov. 28, 2007 Failed That the Bill be now read a second time and referred to the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities.

Speaker's RulingEmployment Insurance ActPrivate Members' Business

November 22nd, 2007 / 6:20 p.m.


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The Deputy Speaker Bill Blaikie

In my opinion the nays have it.

And five or more members having risen:

Pursuant to Standing Order 93 the division stands deferred until Wednesday, November 28, immediately before the time provided for private members' business.

Employment Insurance ActRoutine Proceedings

November 28th, 2007 / 3:10 p.m.


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Liberal

Raymond Simard Liberal Saint Boniface, MB

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-488, An Act to amend the Employment Insurance Act and the Employment Insurance Regulations (excluding pension from earnings when calculating employment insurance benefits).

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise this afternoon to introduce my private member's bill.

Currently, Canadians who receive pension income and wish to continue to work or go back to work are forced to pay employment insurance premiums, but they would most likely not benefit from the insurance plan if they were laid off. The reason is that their pension income is currently considered as revenue and offsets the insurance benefits. My bill plans to change that so that their pension income would not be in that calculation.

I am bringing this bill forward for two basic reasons. First is the issue of fairness. I do not believe that any Canadian should be paying into an insurance plan when he or she could never benefit from the plan. Second, given the current labour shortage in this country, it is a total disincentive for people to go back to work or to continue working once they are receiving a pension.

This is a correction.

This is good for Canadian seniors and Canada's economy. I thank my colleague from Madawaska—Restigouche for his support. I plan to convince my other colleagues in this House to support this bill.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

The House resumed from November 22 consideration of the motion that Bill C-357, An Act to amend the Employment Insurance Act (Employment Insurance Account and premium rate setting) and another Act in consequence, be read the second time and referred to a committee.

Employment Insurance ActPrivate Members' Business

November 28th, 2007 / 6 p.m.


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The Deputy Speaker Bill Blaikie

The House will now proceed to the taking of the deferred recorded division on the motion at the second reading stage of Bill C-357 under private members' business.

(The House divided on the motion, which was negatived on the following division:)

Vote #17

Employment Insurance ActPrivate Members' Business

November 28th, 2007 / 6:05 p.m.


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The Deputy Speaker Bill Blaikie

I declare the motion lost.