Evidence of meeting #53 for Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was ministers.
A video is available from Parliament.
Liberal
Ramesh Sangha Liberal Brampton Centre, ON
Is it your opinion that their credentials will be recognized as part of the new program that you are going to adopt?
Deputy Minister, Department of Employment and Social Development
Looking at what the program does and what supports there are to recognize foreign credentials is something we provide assistance for. The recognition of credentials is done throughout the country by provinces and territories in various ways. One thing we are doing is working with the provinces and territories to try to provide best practices, to potentially convene the provinces territories so that we could have a consistent approach to foreign credential recognition.
If you are asking whether the new program would recognize foreign credentials specifically right away, that's not something that the program would do itself. It's something we need to work on with the provinces and territories to ensure that we're doing it in the fastest, most efficient way possible. We're doing a stream of work right now with the provinces and territories to try to ameliorate that process.
Liberal
Ramesh Sangha Liberal Brampton Centre, ON
Nearly two weeks ago, Minister Hajdu and Mr. Hussen, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, were in Brampton in my riding, in my city, and there were announcements regarding the new immigration system for those people who are coming as immigrants. Can you update us on those?
Deputy Minister, Department of Employment and Social Development
We are working with our colleagues at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada as well. I don't have that part of the information with me, but what I can do is ask that we put a little paper together articulating the work we're doing and what specifically those aspects are. If you like, we can provide that to the committee.
Liberal
Ramesh Sangha Liberal Brampton Centre, ON
Could you please provide that, then, to the committee? Thank you very much.
Liberal
Nicola Di Iorio Liberal Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC
My question was for Minister Qualtrough. I really liked her presentation.
I would like to begin by thanking your team and each and every one of you for the excellent work you have done to prepare your presentations. They were very informative and very appreciated.
I saw a comment on federal accessibility legislation. That project is generating a lot of excitement and a lot of expectations.
Could you tell us about the next steps until the bill is passed?
Deputy Minister, Labour Program, Department of Employment and Social Development
Thank you for the question.
As Minister Qualtrough was saying, we conducted a nine-month consultation across the country, even in the north. We are waiting for a report, in the spring or the fall, on everything we have heard. We will study the report, and then we will enact the legislation.
As Minister Qualtrough has already said publicly, we would like that to happen by early 2018.
Liberal
Nicola Di Iorio Liberal Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC
Do you have an idea of the major features of that bill on accessibility?
Deputy Minister, Labour Program, Department of Employment and Social Development
I'm not sure I understand.
Liberal
Nicola Di Iorio Liberal Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC
Relevant provincial legislative measures exist, but we will finally have a federal piece of legislation on accessibility.
Can you tell us about a few of the main ideas, or major themes that would be part of that type of legislation?
Deputy Minister, Labour Program, Department of Employment and Social Development
There are legislative measures in Quebec, in Ontario, in Nova Scotia, as well as in Manitoba. Those are different legislative measures, but they all have standards, be it in the area of technology, employment or transportation. The standards are different, but this way, all companies or individuals have the right to accessibility.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Bryan May
Thank you.
Mark, I know your question is up next, but I need at least three minutes to wrap some stuff up, so if you can do it in a minute or a minute and a half, go for it.
Conservative
Mark Warawa Conservative Langley—Aldergrove, BC
Thank you.
The minister said last year, “We have moved the age of eligibility for old age security to 65, which will prevent 100,000 vulnerable seniors from falling into severe poverty.” When did this take effect? My understanding was that it was in 2023 to 2029 that this change from 65 to 67 was to take effect. If the government is changing it back to 65 now, then the phase-in doesn't start until 2023. Am I correct in saying the status quo is 65, and therefore, the change has zero effect on OAS benefits to Canadian seniors?
Right now, in 2016 and 2017, there is no effective benefit to seniors because what was proposed was in the future, and it's been scaled back. There was no benefit to seniors regarding reducing the age back to 65, is that correct?
Deputy Minister, Department of Employment and Social Development
My understanding is that it would have been the impact at the time of implementation. Whether it was 65, and then brought to 67, and then brought back to 65, the impact would have been at the time of implementation.
Conservative
Deputy Minister, Department of Employment and Social Development
There is no impact.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Bryan May
Thank you, Mark.
We do have votes scheduled for today on estimates. I'm going to suggest that we defer those until we can determine whether or not we can get the ministers back. I don't think it makes a lot of procedural sense to vote on these now, and then have the ministers come back at a later date.
Can I get everybody's agreement?
Conservative
Bob Zimmer Conservative Prince George—Peace River—Northern Rockies, BC
Can you just clarify what you just asked us again, Chair?
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Bryan May
They are due on May 31. We have time between now and then, if we need to. If, for whatever reason, we can't get the ministers back, we can add this to a later session of this committee.
Are there any other questions?
