Thanks, Andrew.
I'll speak briefly to the amendments proposed in the bill, to part III of the Canada Labour Code. Part III of the code, as you may know, establishes minimum working conditions in federally regulated sectors such as hours of work, annual vacations, and statutory leaves. Federally regulated sectors include about 6% of all Canadian employees in industries such as banking, transportation, federal crown corporations, and certain activities on first nations reserves. Part III does not apply to the federal public service.
In general, when amendments are made to the EI special benefits, corresponding amendments are made to leaves under the Canada Labour Code. This is done to ensure that federally regulated employees have the right to take unpaid leave while they access the EI special benefits, without fear of losing their jobs.
Amendments are therefore being proposed in the bill to ensure that existing leave provisions under part III, specifically those related to maternity leave, parental leave, compassionate care leave, and leave related to critical illness are fully aligned with the proposed changes to the EI special benefits.
The overall cost to the labour program to implement the proposed changes to the code is expected to be modest, about $400,000. This would cover things such as training, labour program inspectors, the production of educational materials for employers and employees, the development of supporting regulations, and the monitoring of the impacts of the changes.
Costs to employees are expected to be minimal and will depend on the duration of the leaves that are taken and whether employees need to pay overtime or hire replacement workers. Stakeholder reaction is expected to be very minimal to the changes to the code.
I'd be pleased to address any questions that you have.