Thank you, Chair, and good morning to all the members of the committee.
I am pleased to have the opportunity today to give you an overview of the employment insurance program and the way in which it supports the economic security of women.
Employment insurance, EI, is a foundational program that supports millions of working Canadians every year through life transitions. Regular benefits, of course, assist workers who experience job loss, and EI special benefits play an important role in helping women and men balance work-life responsibilities. They provide temporary income support to workers and self-employed individuals in specific circumstances such as sickness and maternity, and to those providing care to a family member at the end of life or to a new child.
To better understand and inform existing and proposed policies, the department analyzes the use of the program by women and men and conducts gender-based analysis on proposed changes to the EI program.
Over the years, the EI program has adapted to better reflect the changing labour market and the evolving needs of workers, including pressures on families.
In 1971, maternity and sickness benefits were introduced into the program, and in 1990, parental benefits were introduced so that mothers and fathers could receive support by taking leave from work to provide care for a newborn or newly adopted child.
The duration of parental benefits was increased in 2000 and, more recently, care benefits were added to the program to provide family caregivers with support in specific situations. These benefits provide additional support to working women and men and have been widely used by women in the workforce.
A key area of interest for EI is access to the program. Statistics Canada monitors this annually. It reported that in 2015 the overall eligibility rate for EI was 82.8%, and the eligibility rate for women was 84.3%, slightly higher than for men. Part-time workers tend to have more difficulty qualifying for EI than full-time workers, due to the hours requirement. As there are proportionally more women in part-time employment, as we heard earlier, traditionally the eligibility rate has been lower for women than for men. It remains to be seen whether that will continue.
I see that my time is running out. I will just say that the government has committed to further improvements to the program following a number of changes in 2016, including the elimination of the new entrant and re-entrant rules that made it easier to access the EI program.
The coming changes reflect commitments to better help Canadian families, including more flexibility in parental benefits, and a more flexible and inclusive compassionate-care benefit that would provide access in a broader range of caregiving situations.
In conclusion, we apply a gender-sensitive lens to our policy development as we look at enhancing supports for workers and Canadian families. I look forward to your questions.