Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'm Lorraine Pelot. I'm director general in the income security and social development branch. I'm here with my colleague Tara Bélanger Zahab.
Division 21 of part 4 amends part 5 of the Department of Employment and Social Development Act to make certain reforms to the Social Security Tribunal. The Social Security Tribunal was created in 2012 and became operational in April 2013 as a single-window, independent tribunal to replace four separate administrative tribunals that had made decisions on appeals for benefit claims under the employment insurance and income security programs.
The income security programs I mention include the Canada pension plan, including Canada pension plan disability and old age security.
In August 2019 the government committed to introduce legislation to reform the Social Security Tribunal and make the appeals process for income security programs more client-centric, more streamlined and faster.
The most important legislative amendments are designed to streamline and simplify the recourse processes; introduce a de novo model for second-level income security appeals within the SST in which new evidence is allowed, with a new and final decision on benefits eligibility; and provide authority to the chair of the SST to make rules of procedure that will govern the way the SST functions during the processes.
Regulations, to follow, would be created to include allowing the choice of form of hearing for appellants and authorizing all parties to request that all or part of their hearing be held in private.
I would be pleased to answer any questions.