Human Resources Committee on April 24th, 2020

[The Chair, Liberal, Sean Casey]

We are back in session.

Mr. Vis had raised his hand.

Mr. Vis, if you raised your hand before we suspended, I apologize. I only saw it after we suspended. If you have a point of order, please go ahead.

[Brad Vis, Conservative, Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon, BC]

I won't belabour the point, but a number of members at the committee would have really appreciated asking even one quick question of the officials. I would hope this committee use all of the time allotted to it, even for just a quick round, and I would ask the chair to consider such flexibility moving forward.

Thank you so much.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sean Casey]

That's an entirely fair request, and I'm sorry for not noticing your hand ahead of time. Had I done so, I absolutely would have exercised my discretion to do that. I will in the future.

Thanks for raising this.

[Brad Vis, Conservative, Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon, BC]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sean Casey]

We're pleased to welcome the Honourable Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion.

Welcome, Minister. You have a 10-minute opening statement, followed by questions. The floor is yours.

[Carla Qualtrough, Liberal, Minister of Employment]

Thank you very much, and thank you to all committee members for being here.

I am pleased to join you today to give you an update on measures taken to address the COVID-19 pandemic as they pertain to my portfolio.

Thank you for permitting me to participate by telephone. I've been having some challenges integrating my accessibility software with virtual meeting software, which means I can't always read what's on my screen when I'm in a meeting. It's sometimes doable, but not when I need to manage documents and participate meaningfully, so thank you very much.

I'm accompanied here today by the ESDC officials you have already been hearing from. I understand Graham, Lori and Benoît are with us.

Before I begin, I would like to thank the committee for its study on the government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Your work is essential in our democratic process.

It has been some time now that Canadians have been adapting to the COVID-19 pandemic gripping our country and the world. During that time, Service Canada and CRA employees have expended a monumental effort to respond to this crisis.

To give you a sense of the scope of this effort, we need to look no further than the 13.4 million payments made to date under EI and the Canada emergency response benefit. This figure is a reflection of the real need of Canadians during this time and our staff’s dedication to public service and our country.

Let me tell you a little more about the Canada emergency response benefit.

The CERB was created to assist Canadians in unprecedented circumstances. Our employment insurance program was really not designed to respond to a global pandemic. It does not cover all the situations that our workers are facing during this public health crisis.

Service Canada and the Canada Revenue Agency therefore formed a team and, in a few weeks, they developed and implemented a simple, quick approach to applications. They are now quickly and efficiently paying out the Canada emergency response benefits to Canadians each day.

For eligible Canadian workers, the CERB provides temporary income support of $500 a week for up to 16 weeks. It applies to workers who have stopped working for reasons related to COVID-19. It also supports working parents who are staying home to care for children because of school and day care closures.

However, when we launched the benefit on April 6, some Canadian workers expressed concern about eligibility. We listened and on April 15 made it more inclusive.

Now, workers, including the self-employed, can earn up to $1,000 per month while collecting the benefit. The benefit also now applies to workers who’ve recently exhausted their EI regular benefit payments and are unable to start working again because of COVID-19. This helps many seasonal workers, including fishers and those in the tourism industry, who may not have their usual seasonal work to return to as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak.

I understand that some Canadian workers who are eligible for the CERB and who are going on maternity leave in a few weeks or months have questions with regard to how their claims have been processed. We are in the process of reconciling these cases and will make sure that no one is disadvantaged and that everyone has access to their proper maternity benefit entitlements when they need them.

Before going on, I'll quickly share the latest CERB numbers. As of April 23, we have received 9.65 million applications from 7.12 million people. We have processed 9.51 million of these applications which, by my math, equals about 98.5% of applications having been processed. The total amount of payments made is $22.4 billion.

I mentioned seasonal workers, and I’d like now to speak about temporary foreign workers and Canada’s food supply. Temporary foreign workers have been integral to Canada’s food production since the 1960s.

For example, last year approximately 60,000 temporary foreign workers came to Canada to work in agriculture and food-processing jobs, but the COVID-19 pandemic has made it harder to bring in the workers needed to meet Canada’s food security needs. In response, we have implemented emergency changes to the temporary foreign worker program to make it easier and faster for employers to hire and retain these workers.

In the meantime, we're also working closely with provinces and territories, employers, foreign governments and other stakeholders to safeguard the health of workers and of all Canadians. This includes regulatory amendments, which came into force on April 20 and which are now being enforced through inspections by Service Canada compliance officers.

It is also true that, although temporary foreign workers are an integral part of our economy, many Canadians are now without work. I would like to assure members of the committee that there are still jobs for Canadians who want to work in the agriculture and agri-food sector. With our partners, we are currently trying to find ways to better communicate these employment possibilities to Canadians.

I'll have a word now about students and youth.

Our government is committed to providing targeted support for individuals and vulnerable groups, such as students. That is why we announced comprehensive support for post-secondary students and recent graduates, representing an investment of approximately $9 billion.

Young people are facing a serious set of challenges in this difficult time, be it interrupted studies, reduced work opportunities, or disruptions to summer co-op or internship plans. Many of Canada’s post-secondary students are worried about how they will be able to afford tuition, food and rent if they can’t find summer work. That’s why our government is introducing a four-month Canada emergency student benefit. Students who are not eligible for the CERB and meet the criteria for this new benefit will be able to apply to receive $1,250 per month between May and August. Students with disabilities and students with dependants could receive an additional $500 per month. This benefit is designed to reach the vast majority of existing and newly graduated post-secondary students.

In addition, we are expanding eligibility for the Canada student loans program for September. We are also doubling the value of Canada student grants and increasing the cap on Canada student loans from $210 to $350 per week of study.

I understand that many young Canadians will be anxious about their job prospects this summer and that they will be looking for opportunities in healthy and safe work environments. The temporary changes that we recently announced to the Canada summer jobs program are only the beginning.

Earlier this week, we announced that we will expand existing federal employment programs to create up to 76,000 jobs, placements and other training opportunities to help students find employment and develop valuable skills this summer and over the coming months. This includes expanding the student work placement program by creating more paid work placements across critical service sectors like health care, food and agri-food, retail and e-commerce.

We're also introducing flexibilities to the youth employment and skills strategy, creating placements for young Canadians in critical sectors, such as community service.

We're investing in bringing important wraparound services online through the support for student learning program, and services like mentoring and tutoring for vulnerable young people to make sure they are not further marginalized by COVID-19.

We believe these measures and others made as part of Canada's COVID-19 economic response plan will help young people weather the negative economic impacts of the pandemic while ensuring their health and safety.

Finally, I'd like to speak about what our government is doing to address the concerns of persons with disabilities during this pandemic.

We recognize that some groups are significantly and disproportionately impacted by this crisis. For some Canadians with disabilities, underlying medical conditions put them at greater risk of serious complications related to COVID-19. Others face discrimination and barriers in accessing information, social services and health care.

On April 10, I released a statement outlining our government's unequivocal commitment to the rights of every citizen and the value of every life, including the right to equal access to medical treatment and care. This is in keeping with our commitment to Nothing Without Us and in line with the principles and objectives of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Accessible Canada Act.

In addition, in this same spirit and to support Canadians with disabilities, we established the COVID-19 disability advisory group. This group is offering advice to the government on real-time, lived experiences of persons with disabilities during this crisis. Areas of particular focus are equality of access to health care and support, access to information and communications, mental health and social isolation, and employment and income support.

My Cabinet colleagues and I are ready to take other steps to protect Canadians and the economy. This means continuing to support workers and businesses now and in the coming transition back to the normal operation of the economy, as soon as that happens.

I'd now be happy to take your questions.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sean Casey]

Thank you very much, Minister.

Do you have a point of order, Mr. Turnbull?

[Ryan Turnbull, Liberal, Whitby, ON]

It's just a small technical request. I know that we experienced this on the other committee I'm on as well. When the translation and interpretation is happening, the volume is still high when the person is speaking and it's often hard to hear. I would just humbly request that maybe the interpretation be louder than the speaker's voice at the time that translation is coming through. I think it would improve the quality for all of us to hear when we're speaking about accessibility. I just think it's important that we make sure everyone can hear clearly.

Thank you, Minister, for your comments and opening remarks.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sean Casey]

We'll now proceed with questions, beginning with the Conservatives.

Mr. Albas, go ahead for six minutes, sir.

[Dan Albas, Conservative, Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola, BC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you for your presence, Minister.

Minister, since mid-March Conservatives, such as me and other shadow ministers, have sent you six letters, and it seems we are getting zero response. Is this how you want to conduct your office?

[Carla Qualtrough, Liberal, Delta, BC]

I know that you have sent numerous letters over the past weeks. As things are moving and changing very rapidly, I know that we've made an effort. I know my parliamentary secretary has been offering personal telephone conversations with you to capture your input. We've had two committees of the whole at which we were both there personally. There have been opportunities to ask questions through technical briefings through my department. There's certainly been no intended effort not to respond. I know there's a daily parliamentary call at 4:30 p.m., through which we gather information. I think my team is really well equipped to answer questions.

[Dan Albas, Conservative, Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola, BC]

Minister, I only have so much time, so I'd like you just to answer the question in the time that's given.

Minister, your parliamentary secretary has not. I'm still waiting. The questions were asked three teleconferences ago on the technical briefing for answers, so this is not happening.

Let me just say this. One, I hope that you believe there's an ethical argument to be made that you have to be responsible to Parliament. There's also a practical argument. If you're not sending me timely answers to my inquiries, then I will tell every Conservative MP to then ask your department their own questions. That will make it inefficient for your office and for mine.

I just want your commitment right now to provide answers on a timely basis. Yes or no?

[Carla Qualtrough, Liberal, Delta, BC]

You do have that commitment, absolutely, and I apologize because I thought we were getting you timely information. That will be remedied immediately.

[Dan Albas, Conservative, Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola, BC]

Thank you.

Minister, expectant parents are being told by Service Canada that they can't access the CERB. Instead, they must apply for early parental leaves. They are being told this is a requirement in the CERB.

Is this a requirement in your understanding?

[Carla Qualtrough, Liberal, Delta, BC]

I apologize, Mr. Albas. The operator said I was muted and I missed the middle part of your question. Can you please ask it again?

[Dan Albas, Conservative, Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola, BC]

Sure. Expectant parents who are applying for the CERB are being told that they must apply for early parental benefits instead. They are being told this is a requirement.

Is this a requirement, Minister?

[Carla Qualtrough, Liberal, Delta, BC]

This is absolutely not a requirement. Mothers who are expecting and who are eligible for the CERB can receive the benefit even if they expect to start maternity benefits at some point.

No, that is not a requirement.

[Dan Albas, Conservative, Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola, BC]

It says right here in a letter that this committee has received from a Canadian that says, “There is a little question on the application for E.I./ the CERB application that asks 'Are you pregnant?' Of course I checked the 'yes' box. I am pregnant.” Am I worthless as a worker because I am pregnant?

[Carla Qualtrough, Liberal, Delta, BC]

I can tell you why that question was asked, Mr. Albas. We ask that question so that we can anticipate, from a “back-end system” point of view, whether somebody is going to be moved onto a different benefit stream, but that does not in any way impact their eligibility for all of these benefits.

As I said in my opening remarks, I know that we've had some systemic challenges, but I will reiterate my assurances that nobody is going to be disadvantaged by anything that may or may not be happening, and pregnant women—

[Dan Albas, Conservative, Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola, BC]

In the letter as well, Minister—

[The Chair, Liberal, Sean Casey]

Excuse me, Mr. Albas. Ms. Kusie has a point of order.

[Dan Albas, Conservative, Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola, BC]

Excuse me, Mr. Chair. I have the time and I appreciate I only have a brief amount of time.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sean Casey]

One of your colleagues has raised a point of order, Mr. Albas.

Ms. Kusie.

[Stephanie Kusie, Conservative, Calgary Midnapore, AB]

Yes, I just wanted to ask, please, if Mr. Albas could have 20 seconds added to his time, considering that he had to repeat the question as a result of the technical difficulty with the minister.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sean Casey]

Go ahead, Mr. Albas.