Evidence of meeting #44 for Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities in the 40th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was processing.
A recording is available from Parliament.
12:30 p.m.
Liberal
12:30 p.m.
Comptroller, Chief Financial Officer Branch, Department of Human Resources and Skills Development
The date was March 2009, and it was reflected in the supplementary estimates (A) for 2009-10.
12:30 p.m.
Liberal
Michael Savage Liberal Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS
Has the $1.15 billion, which I think was allocated as the cost for increasing the five weeks, changed in light of the economic circumstances?
12:30 p.m.
Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, Skills and Employment Branch, Department of Human Resources and Skills Development
There has been no reassessment of the cost associated with that measure at this point.
12:30 p.m.
Liberal
Michael Savage Liberal Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS
It's your feeling, then, that the budget anticipated the increased costs of EI when they allocated the cost of $1.15 billion to adding five weeks?
12:30 p.m.
Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, Skills and Employment Branch, Department of Human Resources and Skills Development
That was based on the unemployment projections at the time of the budget. There has been no reassessment. There is ongoing monitoring of the overall spending on EI and some of those figures.
12:30 p.m.
Liberal
Michael Savage Liberal Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS
That was based on a projection that the economy was getting worse at that point in time?
12:30 p.m.
Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, Skills and Employment Branch, Department of Human Resources and Skills Development
Yes, it was.
12:30 p.m.
Liberal
Michael Savage Liberal Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS
Yet at that point in time there wasn't any consideration of the $60 million addition until it went...six weeks later?
12:30 p.m.
Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, Skills and Employment Branch, Department of Human Resources and Skills Development
I'm sorry, I'm trying to make a connection. One is about EI operations and the workload, for which our first step was to reallocate internally--
12:30 p.m.
Liberal
Michael Savage Liberal Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS
Was the $60 million for the increased ability to process EI a result of increased unemployment in the country? You didn't anticipate that in January, but you did anticipate increased unemployment, adding a $1.15 billion cost to the five-week extension?
12:30 p.m.
Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, Skills and Employment Branch, Department of Human Resources and Skills Development
There were certainly forecasts of unemployment available in January that we were using for budget measures and for operational planning.
12:30 p.m.
Liberal
Michael Savage Liberal Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS
I understand. It just seems unusual that you would anticipate the increased unemployment, identifying the cost of adding five weeks, but that the minister wouldn't have thought in January that we would need more people to process EI.
12:30 p.m.
Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, Skills and Employment Branch, Department of Human Resources and Skills Development
It was anticipated—it was secured through the Treasury Board in March, a month after the budget.
12:30 p.m.
Liberal
Michael Savage Liberal Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS
The announcement from the minister was in late February. Up until then, she was insisting that everything was manageable.
12:30 p.m.
Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, Skills and Employment Branch, Department of Human Resources and Skills Development
The timing of the funding decision vis-à-vis the budget might have lagged by a few weeks, I suppose.
12:30 p.m.
Liberal
Michael Savage Liberal Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS
I wouldn't say a few weeks. On November 27, I pointed out to the minister that people weren't getting their cheques on time. On December 19, I sent a letter to the minister. The next day, there was an article in the paper in which the minister said there wasn't a problem. So it seems to me that there's some disconnect here. Somebody seems to have underestimated the problem.
The $60 million that you referred to was a technical transfer within the department. Is that what the terminology was?
12:30 p.m.
Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, Skills and Employment Branch, Department of Human Resources and Skills Development
Yes, it was a reattribution of where the costs occurred.
12:30 p.m.
Liberal
Michael Savage Liberal Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS
The Minister of Finance referred to the recession as a technicality not that long ago, so that's consistent.
12:30 p.m.
Bloc
The Vice-Chair Bloc Yves Lessard
Thank you, Mr. Savage.
I would like to apologize for my absence. I had to give a 20-minute speech in the House, which was followed by a 10-minute question period.
I am now going to recognize Ms. Chow. After that, I would like to ask a couple of questions, which will complete this round.
12:35 p.m.
NDP
Olivia Chow NDP Trinity—Spadina, ON
Thank you.
By the way, do you have the answer about the number of severances and pensions?
12:35 p.m.
Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, Skills and Employment Branch, Department of Human Resources and Skills Development
According to the latest available figures on the proportion of regular claimants who receive separation, it's just over 17%.
12:35 p.m.
Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, Skills and Employment Branch, Department of Human Resources and Skills Development
In that year, it was around 225,000.