Human Resources Committee on March 24th, 2022

[Karen Robertson, Chief Financial Officer and Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Department of Employment and Social Development]

No, I'm sorry, there's nothing I can add. It doesn't form part of ESDC's main estimates.

[Stephanie Kusie, Conservative, Calgary Midnapore, AB]

Thank you both for your efforts in attempting to answer that.

I've run some numbers based on Google. There are 235,000 homeless Canadians. The average price of a home is $748,450. That's already an initial investment of $175 billion.

What I think we're seeing here, Mr. Chair, is that this NDP-Liberal coalition agreement—

[Wayne Long, Liberal, Saint John—Rothesay, NB]

Chair, point of order.

[Stephanie Kusie, Conservative, Calgary Midnapore, AB]

—has many significant implications, and there's a lot of work to be done, so I'm glad you've shed some light on that today.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

Point of order, Mr. Long.

[Wayne Long, Liberal, Saint John—Rothesay, NB]

Chair, again, the member is stating something that's simply not factually true, that there's a Liberal-NDP coalition. The member knows that's not true.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

Thank you.

[Ron Liepert, Conservative, Calgary Signal Hill, AB]

That's not a point of order, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

Thank you, Mr. Long.

It is a matter of debate, and we are in questions, so I will now call on Madame Ferrada, for six minutes.

[Soraya Martinez Ferrada, Liberal, Hochelaga, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

It is my pleasure to ask my questions of the representatives of the department who are with us today.

I would like to thank the witnesses for all the work you have done, particularly working virtually. I know it's difficult for some of you.

I would like to know your views on the subject of the estimates, particularly regarding two or three items that I think are important.

First, I would like you to talk to us about the modernization of the employment insurance system. I would like to know how you foresee the next few months going in connection with that priority, which seems to me to be extremely important.

Second, I would like you to talk to us about funding, and more specifically the funding programs associated with community organizations and the enabling accessibility fund, which supports people with a disability.

Could you provide us with information about these two items?

[Lori MacDonald]

I'll ask Catherine Demers if she could respond to the question with respect to EI modernization.

[Catherine Demers, Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, Skills and Employment Branch, Department of Employment and Social Development]

Good afternoon.

I will be pleased to answer the question.

The government is committed to modernizing the employment insurance scheme. That commitment was clearly stated in our minister's mandate letter. In fact, we are currently working to develop measures that will enable us to move forward with this modernization. A number of steps have already been completed.

We have to build on the lessons learned during the pandemic and the temporary measures that were put in place in the employment insurance scheme. Their purpose was to help workers affected by the pandemic access employment insurance measures more easily and with greater flexibility.

We also have to build on the lessons learned regarding the special measures in connection with the economic recovery. We want to help people who would normally not have been able to access the employment insurance program. These would include self-employed workers, for example.

Given the very significant needs of certain groups in the population, we have launched a program of consultations. The program began in August and focuses on several topics, including access to employment insurance and benefits for parents and families, and also the issue of self-employed workers, freelance workers and seasonal workers.

These issues were the subject of discussions during the first phase of consultations in August. The consultations involved round tables, surveys, and written submissions. They will be continuing over the coming months.

We have already received a lot of comments, which will help us update the proposals. However, we need more, because there are a number of topics to address. This is a very broad field.

The topics that will be examined include the adequacy of benefits and the financial model for the program. We also have to continue exploring measures to ensure that the scheme better meets the needs of self-employed and freelance workers. We have to understand and define those needs more clearly.

The work is underway and we are planning to continue the consultations this spring, as was announced at the end of the first phase.

All of this will enable us to make proposals in connection with the reform.

One very concrete element of the reform will be implemented: extending sickness benefits, a measure that was announced in budget 2021 and is scheduled for the end of the summer of 2022.

Those are just a few examples.

[Soraya Martinez Ferrada, Liberal, Hochelaga, QC]

Thank you.

Could you come back to the second part of my question, which was about the enabling accessibility fund for people with a disability?

I noted that some elements concerned funding and others concerned projects and objectives.

Can you give us more details on this subject?

[Lori MacDonald]

Yes. I'll ask Krista Wilcox to respond to this question.

[Krista Wilcox, Director General, Office for Disability Issues, Department of Employment and Social Development]

The enabling accessibility fund is a really important program that we deliver in the department. Its objective is to promote the accessibility and inclusion of persons with disabilities in our communities and in our workplaces.

Budget 2021 made significant investments into the enabling accessibility fund with $125 million over two years. That funding is going toward a number of important aspects of the program to help us improve accessibility across the country.

Specifically, there was $100 million over two years that was announced and will help with the improvement of the social inclusion of persons with disabilities by supporting a greater number of small projects, which are projects that are under $100,000. Those will go toward not-for-profit organizations, including targeting women's shelters and shelters for victims of violence against women, small municipalities, indigenous organizations, territorial governments and businesses of all sizes for our workplace stream. That would help with about 900 renovations, retrofits and accessible technology projects through that investment.

There is also, as part of the early learning and child care funding that was announced, an additional—

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

Thank you, Madame Wilcox. You may continue with that in a further question, but we've gone over time.

Now we go to Madame Chabot.

Ms. Chabot, you have the floor.

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

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I would like to thank the witnesses for being with us today.

I have two main questions. One will be about the same subject, reform of the employment insurance scheme, and the other about the temporary foreign workers program, or TFWP, and in particular labour market impact assessments, or LMIAs.

Concerning the reform of the employment insurance program, the government had announced several hundred thousand dollars for consultations in the last budget. The problem is that they were not particularly transparent. It was hard to find the phases of the consultations on the department's website—we know, because we searched. As well, you held an online consultation. A request had been made for a report to be written. I am going to ask you the question again: is it possible to receive a report on this subject?

For transparency, can you give a clearer explanation of the steps in the consultation, the topics addressed, and the people who were consulted?

As well, you say there will be another phase. We also know that there have been problems associated with a lack of equity among the groups with whom meetings were held. I personally made a request to the Minister for the opposition party employment critics to be able to participate in the reform process.

Can the department clearly explain the stage of the consultation that is underway and the stages yet to come?

[Catherine Demers]

I am happy to answer the question.

The first stage of the consultation, as I explained, began in August with an opening round table with the Minister, Ms. Qualtrough, and the two employment insurance commissioners...

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

I'm going to interrupt you. I am aware of what has been done.

[Catherine Demers]

Okay.

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

What I want to know is whether it is possible to publish reports concerning the consultations, and information about the next stages, on your website.

Is it possible to get reports about what has been done to date?

Can you give a clearer explanation on your website of what you intend to do for the next stages?

That is my question. I would like there to be clear information when the documents are consulted. At present, the information is being given piecemeal.

[Catherine Demers]

The first phase of the consultations ended on February 17 with a closing round table, after some 20 round tables had been held.

As you said, in the course of the inquiry, there were about 2,000 respondents and about 60 written submissions, from one end of the country...

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

I'm sorry, but is it possible to get a report on this consultation online?

[Catherine Demers]

Yes, that's possible.

I confirm that there will be a report on the first phase of the consultations regarding the topics I spoke about earlier: eligibility for employment insurance, simplifying the process, seasonal workers, the premium reduction program...

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

Thank you.

So I understand that we will be getting some information.