Human Resources Committee on March 24th, 2022

[Catherine Demers]

A report will be published when we launch the second phase, in the spring, starting in April or May.

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

So we are counting on you to be able to get all the necessary information when we consult the department's website.

Regarding the temporary foreign workers program, of course you know there is a labour shortage in a number of industries, our SMEs, the food processing industry, and so on.

The alarm is being sounded everywhere, even in my riding, where processing times for labour market impact assessments is hellacious. Companies call us because they are getting no response to their requests. We must not forget the costs associated with LMIAs. Processing times are exploding, and, on top of that, if you don't get answers within the time allowed, the work permits, which come under Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, expire.

What is the explanation for these extremely long processing times?

How can this be remedied, how can companies' needs for foreign labour be met in a timely manner?

[Lori MacDonald]

I'm going to give you a short response, and then I'll turn it to my colleague Nisa Tummon to speak to the LMIA issue you've identified, Madame Chabot.

First and foremost we are very aware of the pressures that the industry is under right now. Minister Qualtrough has asked us to work at measures to support the employers—

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

Mr. Chair, I can't hear the interpretation.

[Lori MacDonald]

—in addressing these pressures across the many sectors and occupations that are feeling them right now.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

Excuse me, Madame MacDonald.

Madame Chabot.

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

I can't hear the interpretation, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

I'm not getting it either.

[Lori MacDonald]

I'm going to let Ms. Tummon answer the question, while we're waiting for the interpretation problem to be solved.

[Nisa Tummon, Assistant Deputy Minister, Program Operations Branch, Department of Employment and Social Development]

We understand that the present situation is very difficult. There has been an exceptional number of applications relating to foreign workers to support various sectors, including the agri-food sector in Canada.

We have worked closely with our Minister on developing an action plan to improve our service levels and especially to accelerate processing of LMIAs.

In Quebec, we are working closely with our counterparts at the ministère de l'Immigration, de la Francisation et de l'Intégration. As some of you know, we are examining files jointly, we are examining the labour market, and we are making recommendations relating to the approval of LMIA applications. Employers are not just meeting labour market needs; they are ensuring that foreign workers are protected and ensuring their safety.

In particular...

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

Madame Tummon and Madame Chabot, your time has concluded.

Now we go to Madame Zarrillo for six minutes.

[Bonita Zarrillo, NDP, Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I am going to note that I am going to speak about residential schools, so I just want to give everyone a heads-up about that.

Today is World Tuberculosis Day, and I see many of my colleagues wearing a ribbon. It's a day of reflection. I speak of how tuberculosis was used as a weapon in Canada to support genocidal policies to infect first nations children in residential schools. That's where I come to this committee from today, from that space.

We have a lot of work to do in Canada to end ongoing discrimination against first nations, Inuit and Métis people. I would ask the witnesses today what programs and budget items can be shared with this committee in the main estimates that address the needs of first nations, Inuit and Métis.

[Lori MacDonald]

I'll ask Karen Robertson, our CFO, to respond initially to this question, and then any other witnesses who may want to come in.

[Karen Robertson]

We have a few programs that are targeted at our indigenous communities. The first one I'll speak to that's in the estimates is the indigenous early learning and child care transformation. There's $299 million included in these main estimates.

If you'll just bear with me, we have about 50 programs. There's also support to indigenous learners, which includes $3.8 million in these main estimates.

I apologize, because there are quite a few. We also have indigenous labour market programming, and there is a total of $297.6 million in these main estimates, which includes funding for both the indigenous skills and employment training, as well as skills and partnership fund.

It will take me a few minutes to hunt down more than that. Thank you for your patience.

[Bonita Zarrillo, NDP, Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC]

Mr. Chair, maybe they could be supplied to the committee after.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

Yes.

[Bonita Zarrillo, NDP, Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC]

I just wonder if there's anything on housing. That would be one I would be interested in. I'm not sure if it would be in this. If there's something there that's easy to find, I'd like to hear about that one, but the rest can come later.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

Yes, Madame Zarrillo, anytime there's a detail, you can ask the witness to provide more factual information in writing back to the committee.

Please continue with your question. I believe it was on housing.

[Bonita Zarrillo, NDP, Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC]

Thank you very much.

I'm going to stay on the topic of discrimination. I wanted to speak specifically about the women who recently won a case through the Social Security Tribunal, as they were discriminated against because they were pregnant.

I note in the mandate letter for the minister, who is coming later, there is not much of a gender lens. We know that women are discriminated against at work, diverse genders. I also see that we want to get more supports to get more people living with a disability into the workforce, so I'm concerned, again, that discrimination will be part of their experience.

I'm just wondering how much in the main estimates is held in the budget to take Canadians fighting for their human rights to court.

[Lori MacDonald]

We actually would not have it broken down like that in the main estimates. I know our CFO was checking her book at this time. We can speak to you, though, about the recent challenge specific to that on the tribunal. I could turn to Catherine Demers for more information.

[Catherine Demers]

What I can say is that the Canada Employment Insurance Commission has submitted an application to seek leave to appeal to the SST appeal division on this case, which was granted. The matter is before the SST, so I would not be in a position to offer more comment on this particular case.

[Bonita Zarrillo, NDP, Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC]

I would like to revisit the gender lens and a feminist recovery.

I note that in skills development and labour there's a lot of talk about very important industries to Canada, like natural resources, real estate, construction, but I didn't see a lot of talk about the care economy. Is there any additional investment in the care economy in the main estimates? I'm specifically talking about care work, the majority of which is done by women.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

We'll suspend for a couple of minutes. We're having a technical problem.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

Committee, we will resume.

Madame Zarrillo, we'll give you a minute and a half.

[Bonita Zarrillo, NDP, Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC]

Thank you so much.

I just wanted to go back to the gender lens, and even gender-based analysis.

As I was saying, under skills development and labour in the minister's mandate letter there is talk of investments for important sectors in our economy, like natural resources, real estate and construction, but I wanted to ask specifically about the care economy and investments in areas of the economy that are led by women—health care, child care, long-term care, domestic support. I'm just wondering if there's any news you can share in the main estimates on investments with a gender lens, and maybe any gender-based analysis that was done in putting this mandate letter together in regard to skills development and labour.