Human Resources Committee on March 16th, 2021

[Carla Qualtrough, Liberal, Delta, BC]

One of the positive results of this pandemic has been the number of times we talk amongst federal and provincial colleagues. I talk to my employment colleagues regularly. The topic of the professionalization and the depth of field, the bench support we need to build in this country around personal support workers, is definitely a topic.

As we talk about training, we talk about specific sectors that would benefit from direct investments. We talk about different jobs that will be needed more in the future as our population ages. We talk a lot about a lot of these things.

Part of the investment in training for provinces is that they have the proven track record of understanding what's going on in their regions and are able to respond more nimbly to the realities on the ground. I guess that's the best way of putting it.

Absolutely, we are having those conversations. We've been having them for months, in terms of understanding the complexities of what's ahead of us to bolster this sector.

[Rosemarie Falk, Conservative, Battlefords—Lloydminster, SK]

That's wonderful. Thank you, Minister.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sean Casey]

Thank you, Mrs. Falk. Thank you, Minister.

The last round of questions goes to Mr. Vaughan, who's going to lower his mike down in front of his mouth and take five minutes.

[Adam Vaughan, Liberal, Spadina—Fort York, ON]

That wasn't my 15-year-old crying in the background about the Leafs.

[Carla Qualtrough, Liberal, Delta, BC]

That's why I was giggling. Sorry, Adam.

[Adam Vaughan, Liberal, Spadina—Fort York, ON]

That's all right.

I have just a couple of quick questions around the Service Canada sites that were raised. I just want to confirm that the Service Canada site in Kildonan—St. Paul, which I believe is at the corner of Red River Boulevard and Main.... I think this is a picture of it. Can you confirm that this Service Canada site is in fact open today?

[Carla Qualtrough, Liberal, Delta, BC]

Lori?

[Lori MacDonald]

I can confirm that this Service Canada site is open. I haven't called there today; however, I believe it is. There are days when we do have closures due to people calling in ill.

[Adam Vaughan, Liberal, Spadina—Fort York, ON]

To my understanding, people are walking in and out all day. It's across the street from another office at Red River Boulevard and Main. I believe MP Dancho's constituency office is right close to the Rivergrove Shopping Centre. Is that the same site we're all talking about here that is open? She can see it from her constituency office. It has been in fact operating since the fall.

[Lori MacDonald]

Yes, that's correct.

[Adam Vaughan, Liberal, Spadina—Fort York, ON]

All right. It hasn't been closed today. I just wanted to confirm that.

In terms of the disability pension....

I'm sorry. How much time do I have left? I don't want to be cut off here.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sean Casey]

You have about four minutes.

[Adam Vaughan, Liberal, Spadina—Fort York, ON]

Okay. I had about three minutes and 52 seconds. I'm just making sure we're on the same time here.

I just want to inquire about the structure and the challenge we've had in accessing a database of people with disabilities. Prior to COVID, there was no single database of people with disabilities that was under the control of any one department at the federal government. Am I correct in that understanding?

[Carla Qualtrough, Liberal, Delta, BC]

That's absolutely correct, and there still isn't.

[Adam Vaughan, Liberal, Spadina—Fort York, ON]

Right, but through COVID, we've managed to start to build that database. That's the platform from which we may be able to strengthen support for people with disabilities through CPP or other pension supports. Is that the platform you're now working with?

[Carla Qualtrough, Liberal, Delta, BC]

Absolutely. Yes, that's it.

[Adam Vaughan, Liberal, Spadina—Fort York, ON]

In terms of the challenge with enrolling people in that database, the best system we have is still the CRA, the Income Tax Act process, because that has the strongest computer system but also the widest coverage in terms of Canadians.

What are we doing to make sure that people who don't file their taxes, people who don't think they need to file their taxes or who for principled reasons don't, in terms of their treaty rights and responsibilities...? We've worked very hard in the Canada child benefit to enrol this community. What are we doing to make sure our database is as complete, as broad and as effective as possible?

[Carla Qualtrough, Liberal, Delta, BC]

That's a great question, and it's really important.

We're working with disability organizations—a good example would be the British Columbia Aboriginal Network on Disability Society, BCANDS, which is kind of the lead in B.C.—to really reach out to organizations and encourage and support applying for the DTC. For families who have kids with disabilities, if they apply for the DTC for their child, they'll have access to CCB for disability.

As you said, it's the best system we have. It is highly problematic in terms of its outreach, but for now, we've really tried hard to get deep into communities through community organizations and other relationships and partnerships, even non-traditional ones, in order to get people help to apply for the DTC, because of how many doors it opens up for people federally, regardless of whether or not they actually have sufficient income to benefit directly from the benefit or the tax credit.

[Adam Vaughan, Liberal, Spadina—Fort York, ON]

How much time do I have left, Chair?

[The Chair, Liberal, Sean Casey]

You have a minute and a half.

[Adam Vaughan, Liberal, Spadina—Fort York, ON]

The next question is around the disability process. During the rollout of CERB, one of the things we saw was that some governments—B.C. is an example and so is Ontario—clawed back their disability pensions to low-income Canadians even though they knew they had disabilities and even though they knew they experienced challenges.

As we move forward, how confident are you that governments that don't want us to spend money supporting Canadians but would rather provide tax credits to people who have already earned dollars—the sort of boutique tax credit that we saw define a previous government in Canada...? How confident are you that we can get the provincial governments to still support people with disabilities as we move forward with stronger investments to both alleviate poverty and, more importantly, give people the platform in their lives to succeed and thrive as Canadians, despite the fact that they have been marginalized through no fault of their own?

[Carla Qualtrough, Liberal, Delta, BC]

Thanks for the question.

Absolutely, we were frustrated by the behaviour of some provinces that chose to claw back the CERB so that consequently people didn't see any kind of increase in their monthly income. We made efforts, and some provinces moved on this—including my own, actually, B.C.—to not claw it back.

A guiding principle moving forward with the disability benefit would be, hopefully, to build upon the success of the Canada child benefit.

This will be tough. This will be the most difficult and complex negotiation related to this benefit in working with provinces and territories to ensure that people are better off because of the supplement and that people's access to services, programs and supports isn't in any way negatively impacted. I don't want to be in a position of giving someone a benefit that consequently causes them to lose their health care or pharmacare. We're very alive to that.

A lot of work is being done behind the scenes to work with provinces to understand the interplay of our systems, but this will be the most important aspect, in my opinion, of the CDB negotiations—the conversations we have with the provinces. I'm cautiously optimistic—that tends to be my personality—but it will be a very tough conversation, and we're going to have to get quite creative to ensure that people are better off because of this.

[Adam Vaughan, Liberal, Spadina—Fort York, ON]

I can't think of a better minister to be on the job.

Thank you very much.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sean Casey]

Thank you, Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Vaughan.

Minister, that concludes the questions for today. I know that you would be keen to receive more, but we'll have you back for those.

[Carla Qualtrough, Liberal, Delta, BC]

I understand that I will be coming back soon to talk about the future of EI. I look forward to it.