Human Resources Committee on April 26th, 2010

[Barbara Byers]

If your question is, Monsieur Godin, whether we would like to see the access rate lower for pregnancy leave, we would welcome all of those kinds of improvements. But what we've said consistently is that we think the first major step is to get everybody to the 360 hours. Let's be really clear: people don't go on EI because they think it's going to be a party.

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

But some people think that's what it is, though.

[Barbara Byers]

I know. I understand that, but—

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

You just had to listen to the House of Commons last week and who said who stole what and who did not. That was the previous government. I asked who was there from 2006 to 2010.

The money still belongs to the workers and businesses that put the money in. It should go back to those people who are in hardship, who don't have any work, and have a family.

[Barbara Byers]

Absolutely.

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

We have 1.4 million hungry kids in our country. We can attribute that to the employment insurance and the changes those governments made.

[Barbara Byers]

Absolutely, and you have to look at who contributed, by the way, to the surplus that was there. When the government proposed going to every hour being insurable, you'll recall that prior to that you had to work 15 hours a week in order for UI to paid. We said that every hour should be insurable and that then people who are less than full-time should be able to get some kind of benefit if they face long or short periods of unemployment.

What we didn't count on in supporting going to the new hours way of doing it--instead of the weeks calculation--was that the hours were going to be so high that people couldn't get the benefits. Take a look at who contributed to that surplus: a lot of part-time workers, people who work less than 15 hours a week, some who can't get—

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

Do you recommend that the government give the royal recommendation?

[Barbara Byers]

The recommendation in terms of the 360 hours...?

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

Well, the bill--

[Barbara Byers]

The bill, yes.

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

If they don't ask for a royal recommendation, it's not going anywhere.

[Barbara Byers]

Absolutely.

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

It's just not. As the CLC is not just recommending to say please—

[Barbara Byers]

No--

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

So just let it go through. If the members of Parliament express themselves and they want a change in this bill, it should go through.

[Barbara Byers]

Absolutely. We say that at the end in terms of the... I think I'm understanding you. We're not saying that in terms of the duration issue we want to hold things up. What we're saying is to get these other two pieces done in terms of the access and the benefit level, and then come back with more, because the unemployed are being crushed out there.

[The Chair, Conservative, Candice Bergen]

You have one more minute, Mr. Godin.

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

One more minute...?

Did you say the duration should be 50 weeks?

[Barbara Byers]

Yes.

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

It should be 50 weeks?

[Barbara Byers]

Yes.

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

Like in some countries? Because there are countries where it is 50 weeks.

[Barbara Byers]

And better, according to the statistics that have been presented here. In fact, the United States, which we don't often compare ourselves to, has been so supportive.

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

Do you think that workers would abuse the system, that they would just want to claim employment insurance rather than working? Do you think, as some governments say, that the employment insurance rules have to be tightened because everybody would prefer to claim employment insurance? Do you think that Canadian workers are as lax and lazy as that?