Human Resources Committee on March 15th, 2010

[Sharon Matthews]

I wouldn't have the breakdown for the stimulus at this point in front of me. I can tell you that of the 3,500 projects that are under way--and that combines new construction and retrofit--it's well over 100,000 units that are involved in that. So there's a lot of work there.

On the affordable housing initiative, which would be non-stimulus dollars, the regular program, I would have a breakdown by province in terms of the allocation, but I wouldn't have the number of units, I don't believe. Actually I take that back; I do. Nationally the number would be just under 45,000 over the course of the AHI, and I would be able to give you a breakdown by province if you want it.

[Tony Martin, NDP, Sault Ste. Marie, ON]

Yes, I would appreciate that, if you don't mind.

[Ron Cannan, Conservative, Kelowna—Lake Country, BC]

Madam Chair, if you could circulate that information to the committee, it would be helpful.

[The Chair, Conservative, Candice Bergen]

Thank you.

[Tony Martin, NDP, Sault Ste. Marie, ON]

I wanted to talk for a few minutes about EI and a number of measures that have been announced, such as the allocation of over $4 billion to improve employment insurance benefits and provide for more training opportunities. Provinces like Ontario are beginning to feel the pinch, it seems. There are noises coming forward that they anticipate that their social welfare costs are going up, and they expect that they're going to go up even further and that they are not going to be able to handle that. In your analysis, is this $4 billion to improve employment insurance benefits and provide more training opportunities going to be enough to deal with the challenges that are out there and will come at us in the next year?

[Karen Jackson]

The $4 billion that is there is provided for the enrichment and extension of the passive income benefits in EI as well as, as you say, training programs through EI and outside EI for aboriginal Canadians, for the older workers I spoke about, for efforts around getting immigrants' credentials recognized faster when they arrive. So that figure is the sum total of all of the elements that had anything to do with skills and training and income benefits in the economic action plan.

Is it enough, is it adequate? That's a very tough question to answer. I think we have begun to see a recovery in the economy. We've begun to see job growth again. It does vary from place to place. It's something we're watching very carefully, but I'm certainly not in a position to pass a judgment like that today.

[Tony Martin, NDP, Sault Ste. Marie, ON]

Thank you.

Another subject that comes up quite often, particularly when I meet with seniors groups, and certainly CARP has raised this, is the issue of the consumer price index and the mistake that was made a few years ago that still rolls out and still irks a lot of older folks as they get their pensions and realize that they're being short-changed each time. Is there anything at all being done to address that, or is it just water under the bridge and we just tell those seniors that we're moving on and forget about it, you lost it and tough luck?

[Liseanne Forand]

In terms of the increases that are the result of the consumer price index that are assessed on a quarterly basis with respect to the old age security program and annually with respect to the CPP program, I know that even in my short time in the department I am already aware that that causes a lot of confusion and concern among the recipients, because oftentimes they see changes in one program and not in the other. In the case of CPP versus OAS, actually the change in one program can have an effect on eligibility for another. So we are regularly trying to answer the questions that come forward from recipients and from seniors with respect to their benefits. As far as I know, that's what we try to do with respect to some kind of corrective measure. With respect to a former assessment of a change based on CPI, I am not aware that we are in the position to make that sort of a correction, but we do watch it very carefully and we do make sure that any changes that are appropriate with respect to the legislative requirements of the program being different are put in place as they come into force.

[The Chair, Conservative, Candice Bergen]

Thank you.

Thank you very much to each one of the officials for appearing before our committee today. We appreciate your time and the information you have provided.

We will suspend now for two minutes, and we'll really stick to that two minutes, because we have committee business to do, and we'll go in camera.

Thank you.

[Proceedings continue in camera]