Human Resources Committee on Nov. 24th, 2020

[Louise Chabot, Bloc, Thérèse-De Blainville, QC]

Thank you. That answers my question.

Just out of curiosity, are there any equal employment opportunity programs for companies under the authority of the federal government? Are there any obligations for organizations or companies under federal jurisdiction to implement employment equity programs for minorities or women?

[Gary Robertson]

The law requires every organization under the federal government to report annually and monitor progress. With that approach, it is clear to all Canadians and they can see whether or not we have made progress in each of the four areas.

[Louise Chabot, Bloc, Thérèse-De Blainville, QC]

Thank you.

I have one last question.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sean Casey]

Please keep your question very brief.

[Louise Chabot, Bloc, Thérèse-De Blainville, QC]

Has money been earmarked in the estimates to raise the minimum wage to $15? Has money been budgeted for that mandate?

[The Chair, Liberal, Sean Casey]

Please provide a brief answer.

[Gary Robertson]

As the minister said, the system has a plan to implement this initiative in the near future.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sean Casey]

Thank you, Ms. Chabot.

Next is Ms. Gazan, please, for six minutes.

[Leah Gazan, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

Thank you to all the witnesses for being here today. I know you have been working really hard, as all of us have during the pandemic.

My question is actually about child care workers, or early childhood educators. Although I know that its an overlapping jurisdiction, for many child care workers, conditions that really are conducive to meeting proper health and safety measures are non-existent. We know that child care workers are essential. Child care workers allow families to go to work, particularly women who have been really hard hit by the pandemic, yet in Manitoba—I'll give you one example—we recently had to return all the masks because they did not meet health and safety standards, and these masks were provided by the province.

This is horrific. It's not only unsafe for workers, but it's unsafe for children and it places families at risk. I'm wondering if your government or your department has any plans to put in place measures, national standards to protect child care workers.

[Gary Robertson]

There are two parts to my response. One is that at the federal level, we are having discussions with our colleagues in the provinces and territories about common approaches. While I know you're aware that we don't regulate child care and early childhood learning facilities, I will say that the CCOHS, which the minister referred to a number of times, has been developing information and guidance for those contexts.

To give you a little more about CCOHS, because it's one of our unknown gems nationally, it has a governance body comprised of employee representatives and employer representatives. Each jurisdiction is represented on the council or has an ability to be represented on the council, so when they do provide guidance, it is something that resonates with everyone, not just us at the federal level. The work they've been doing really has been well appreciated. I know that when I talk to my colleagues from the jurisdictions, they very much appreciate it.

On the last part, around PPE, it is a theme that we have heard in a number of different contexts. I would share with you that there was recognition early on that this was going to be a challenge nationally. Public Services and Procurement Canada has been facilitating bulk purchases of equipment that is available within the different jurisdictions and within the different sectors. As they obtain it, it is made available. I would share that with you, because it is another initiative the federal government has undertaken.

[Leah Gazan, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

Yes. I mention it because early childhood educators are not only grossly underpaid; they're often not respected. These jobs are primarily comprised of women. If we're going to talk about equity in the workforce, then I think we need to target resources at, particularly, jobs occupied mainly by women, and that includes early childhood education. Thanks very much for your response.

My next question has to do with individuals living with compromised immune systems. I have several constituents in my riding who have compromised immune systems and whose workplaces put them at higher risk, of course, because it's a pandemic. They do not have the right to refuse unsafe work for this reason. They can't say they're not going to work because they have a compromised immune system.

Your government allows for Canadians in this position to receive only two weeks of the CRSB, which isn't a solution. That puts these particular individuals with compromised immune systems at risk. What is your department doing to protect immunocompromised workers during the COVID-19 pandemic to make sure their health is not put on the line to survive?

[Gary Robertson]

I will turn to both Tony and Elisha to help support the response.

To start, I will say that every employer has a duty to accommodate folks with physical or mental challenges. Immune challenges are health challenges like any other. While there are approaches that we've taken to help address this, it's not exclusively through this mechanism that folks should have these conversations.

Tony and Elisha, can I turn it back to you?

[Anthony Giles, Assistant Deputy Minister, Labour Program, Policy, Dispute Resolution and International Affairs Directorate, Department of Employment and Social Development]

Thanks, Gary.

I can just say briefly, from a labour policy point of view, that the government recently passed legislation providing job-protected leave for all employees with any kind of COVID–related concern well beyond the two weeks that are actually paid by the new benefit.

[Leah Gazan, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

Does that include pay? Most people can't afford to have leave without pay.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sean Casey]

Make it a short answer, please. We're out of time.

[Anthony Giles]

No, it doesn't. The labour code provides unpaid job-protected leave.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sean Casey]

Thank you, Mr. Giles, and thank you, Ms. Gazan.

Next we have Mr. Kent for five minutes.

[Peter Kent, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

Thank you, Chair. Mr. Schmale will take this slot.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sean Casey]

Mr. Schmale.

[Jamie Schmale, Conservative, Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock, ON]

Thank you very much, Chair.

Thank you to our witnesses for their contributions here.

With respect to the wage earner protection program, does your department keep track of how many companies have declared bankruptcy or have gone into receivership since April 1 of 2020?

[Gary Robertson]

Yes, we do track the number of folks who have had challenges in this space. As I was saying before—

[Jamie Schmale, Conservative, Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock, ON]

I'm sorry. Could you repeat that? It just went all robotic on me.

[Gary Robertson]

Okay. Yes, we do track the number of organizations that access the WEPP as a result of bankruptcies. As I said before, it has gone down. I believe it is 83% of what we experienced last year that have declared bankruptcy and have come through our program, which is less. However, as I mentioned before—which I find quite interesting—the number of folks, individuals, who worked for them is higher, which means that more larger organizations have gone bankrupt than small or mid-sized organizations. That's the only explanation for that strange dichotomy.

[Jamie Schmale, Conservative, Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock, ON]

Okay, I appreciate that.

I don't know about anyone else.... It was an in-and-out connection, but I think I heard enough to understand what you said. I don't know if anyone else had the same issue.

[Gary Robertson]

Would it be helpful if I restate it?