My name is Saajida Deen. I'm the director general in the skills and employment branch responsible for these changes to the Employment Insurance Act.
As outlined in budget 2022, these changes are being proposed to broaden eligibility for skills and employment training under part II of the EI act. Previously, for an individual to receive intensive training supports under EI part II, they would have had to be either an individual who is in receipt of employment insurance benefits or someone who had received the benefits in the last five years, or they would have had to pay a minimum level of premiums in five of the last 10 years.
This change is being proposed to reach those individuals who are further removed from the labour market and who have made contributions for—