Madam Speaker, it is my pleasure to speak today to the motion on employment insurance.
First, I would like to say that more people have come off employment insurance in the last four years than ever before. In fact, one million more jobs were created in the last four years, creating the lowest unemployment rate this country has ever seen.
The employment insurance program pays billions of dollars in benefits to over two million Canadians every year, including to constituents I represent in Surrey Centre. It is one of the most important programs that make up the foundation of our social support system. The employment insurance system provides essential support to workers who have lost their jobs without being responsible for this, to those who cannot work due to illness or pregnancy and to those who have been absent from work to care for a newborn baby, recently adopted child or a seriously ill family member.
An essential component of the EI program is the EI sickness benefit that helps Canadians who are unable to work because of illness, injury or quarantine. Currently, this program provides up to 15 weeks of income replacement. While a majority of Canadians are able to return to work before the end of the 15-week period, about 36% exhaust the full amount before they are able to go back to work. That is why our government and our Prime Minister have included expanding EI sickness benefits to the minister's mandate letter and why our government is committed to expanding the EI sickness benefit from 15 weeks to 26 weeks.
This is an important initiative. It means Canadians will receive financial support at a time when they need to heal and can return as contributing members to the workforce without having suffered undue financial hardship. This commitment was lauded by the Canadian Cancer Society, which said, “The proposed extension would support Canadians who have been diagnosed with cancer and need to take time away from work to seek treatment.”
Canadian workers benefit from a dynamic employment insurance program that is designed to automatically adapt to changes affecting the unemployment rate of an employment insurance economic region. This helps to ensure that people who live in regions with similar labour markets are treated the same, with the amount of assistance provided adjusted to changing labour market conditions. In regions and communities across Canada, our employment insurance program provides income security to our families and workers during periods of unemployment.
Of course, it also provides support to seasonal workers during periods of unemployment. Our government understands the importance of seasonal industries for the success of our country as well as the reality of seasonal workers. Significant sectors, such as the construction industry, agriculture, forestry and fishing, contribute to Canada's economic prosperity. That is why we are working so hard to support these industries and their workers from coast to coast.
The recent decline in unemployment rates in some EI economic regions has resulted in an increase in the number of hours of insurable employment that is required to qualify for regular EI benefits. This increase has resulted in a reduction in the number of weeks of benefits to which claimants are eligible in these regions. This means that some seasonal workers stop receiving EI regular benefits before they are called back to their seasonal job. We know that regions such as eastern Quebec and Atlantic Canada are more severely affected by this lack of income, which is often referred to as the “black hole”.
We sympathize with the workers who find themselves in this situation every year, and I can tell members that our government is closely examining measures to be taken to help these workers. We are working with stakeholders to find solutions to this problem. Our government is committed to improving the employment insurance program to better meet the needs of workers and employers.
When I was a teen, I worked on my uncle's farm in the summer picking blueberries. I saw how hundreds of farm workers helped harvest fruit and produce during the spring and summer and relied on EI during the winters.
Many of the changes we have made over the past four years are already in place and can help seasonal workers. For example, in 2018 we made permanent the rule allowing recipients to keep 50¢ of every dollar earned during the benefit period, and we extended this to maternity and sickness benefits. We also provided five additional weeks to regular benefits to eligible seasonal workers in 13 targeted regions. We estimate that approximately 51,000 seasonal workers will benefit from this measure each year. This government listens and helps Canadians.
We have provided opportunities for eligible claimants to upgrade their skills and increase their employability while receiving their benefits. In particular, we have provided up to $41 million over two years to implement, in collaboration with the provinces and territories, wage subsidies and professional training and employment assistance programs for workers in seasonal industries through labour market development agreements. We are committed to improving the job security of seasonal workers and providing them with more support, especially when employment insurance is interrupted due to a changing job market.
In this regard, we will enhance a recent pilot project that has provided additional assistance to tens of thousands of seasonal workers. At the conclusion of this pilot project, we will set up an ongoing program to give seasonal workers greater and more reliable benefits. These benefits will help them better meet their needs and those of their families between work seasons. We will also collaborate with Statistics Canada to strengthen data collection on local labour markets so that employment insurance can better take into account the realities on the ground, particularly in rural and diverse regions where this is needed the most.
We are aware of the modern realities of the current job market. Society is changing and so is the employment insurance system. It needs to continue to meet the needs of workers and employers. It is a question of balance.
I want my colleagues to understand that our government has committed and remains committed to supporting Canadians from coast to coast to coast when they need it. We have promised to reform the employment insurance system and that is what we are doing. That is why we are working so hard to improve the benefits and supports that Canadian workers receive.