Finance Committee on Nov. 6th, 2018

Evidence of meeting #185 for Finance in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was women's.

A recording is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

Subject Matter of Bill C-86, A second Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on February 27, 2018 and other measures

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Wanda Morris Chief Advocacy and Engagement Officer, Canadian Association for Retired Persons

Ann Decter Director, Community Initiatives, Canadian Women's Foundation

Fay Faraday Co-Chair, Equal Pay Coalition

Janet Borowy Co-Chair, Equal Pay Coalition

Philip Cross Senior Fellow, Macdonald-Laurier Institute

Leona Irons Executive Director, National Aboriginal Lands Managers Association

Andrea Doucet Canada Research Chair in Gender, Work and Care, Professor of Sociology, Women's and Gender Studies, Brock University, As an Individual

Kim Rudd Northumberland—Peterborough South, Lib.

Blake Richards Banff—Airdrie, CPC

Peter Fragiskatos London North Centre, Lib.

Martha Durdin President and Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Credit Union Association

Toby Sanger Executive Director, Canadians for Tax Fairness

Nancy Peckford National Spokesperson and Executive Director, Equal Voice

Bill Schaper Director, Public Policy, Imagine Canada

Suki Beavers Project Director, National Association of Women and the Law

Diana Sarosi Policy Manager, Oxfam Canada

9:25 a.m.

Prof. Andrea Doucet

We did nine provinces, because that's all the data we had at that time.

9:25 a.m.

Northumberland—Peterborough South, Lib.

Kim Rudd

There are no territories in the data.

9:25 a.m.

Prof. Andrea Doucet

There was no data on the territories, or people living on reserves in terms of the benefits at the moment.

9:30 a.m.

Northumberland—Peterborough South, Lib.

Kim Rudd

Interesting. I don't think I knew that.

9:30 a.m.

Prof. Andrea Doucet

That was in terms of the Statistics Canada data that's run through ESDC. I'm sure it's going to be changing. The last dataset that we analyzed was in 2013, and that's all there was at that time.

9:30 a.m.

Northumberland—Peterborough South, Lib.

Kim Rudd

Does that have anything to do with the long-form census being gone? Was there no data coming in?

9:30 a.m.

Prof. Andrea Doucet

It could have something to do with that. We are working with Statistics Canada to try to get better data to measure different groups' access to parental leave benefits but also more on fathers. There's very little data on fathers as well.

9:30 a.m.

Northumberland—Peterborough South, Lib.

Kim Rudd

You mentioned a couple of things. About 25% of the women outside of Quebec, within the nine provinces, do not qualify. One of those reasons was that they didn't have the hours to qualify. In that 25%, does that also include self-employed women, who do not choose to...?

9:30 a.m.

Prof. Andrea Doucet

No. Self-employed women are categorized differently, but they can opt-in or not. We argue that, as in Quebec, we should make the opt-in much easier. The opt-in is more complicated outside Quebec.

9:30 a.m.

Northumberland—Peterborough South, Lib.

Kim Rudd

The 25% are only women who don't access it because of hours, not because of self-employment. Is that correct?.

9:30 a.m.

Prof. Andrea Doucet

Yes.

9:30 a.m.

Northumberland—Peterborough South, Lib.

Kim Rudd

When you talk about 56% excluded, because of low income, can you—

9:30 a.m.

Prof. Andrea Doucet

It's low-income households earning under $30,000.

9:30 a.m.

Northumberland—Peterborough South, Lib.

Kim Rudd

They don't access it.

9:30 a.m.

Prof. Andrea Doucet

They don't have access, and it's either because they aren't eligible—they don't have the insurable hours—or because of the employment standards legislation, which has minimums in some provinces. In some provinces you need to have worked a year with the same employer. Let's say you accumulate your 600 hours but then you move jobs and you're working in another place. In Alberta, for example, you need to have at least 52 weeks with your employer before you can claim the benefits.

There are issues of being eligible but also of being able to actually claim the benefits. That makes that number higher.

9:30 a.m.

Northumberland—Peterborough South, Lib.

Kim Rudd

Job transference in the middle of the year would affect it.

9:30 a.m.

Prof. Andrea Doucet

In some provinces, yes.

November 6th, 2018 / 9:30 a.m.

Northumberland—Peterborough South, Lib.

Kim Rudd

Do you know which provinces they are?

9:30 a.m.

Prof. Andrea Doucet

I do. It's at least 52 weeks in Alberta, Nova Scotia, and then the three territories. In Manitoba it's 31 weeks. Quebec has no minimum, and New Brunswick and British Columbia on the other side. Ontario has at least 13 weeks.

9:30 a.m.

Northumberland—Peterborough South, Lib.

Kim Rudd

That's 13 weeks with one employer.

9:30 a.m.

Prof. Andrea Doucet

You need to have worked 13 weeks before you can claim the benefits.

9:30 a.m.

Northumberland—Peterborough South, Lib.

Kim Rudd

Got it.

9:30 a.m.

Prof. Andrea Doucet

So you might be eligible but you can't claim.

9:30 a.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Wayne Easter

We will have to end it there. Time flies.

Mr. Richards.

9:30 a.m.

Blake Richards Banff—Airdrie, CPC

Thanks.

I will start with you, Mr. Cross. In your opening remarks, you focused more on what you didn't see here and on the idea that there's a lack of fiscal responsibility. I think that's kind of what I heard your message to be. Having deficits at a time when the economy is moving along fairly well puts us at risk when things go the other way, and to serious concern. I would certainly agree with your comments there.

I want to take a little time with you now to focus in on some of the things that are in fact in the bill here. I assume you're familiar with the changes to the labour code.