Jane Stewart

[Agriculture, June 9th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to reiterate for the hon. member that the government will treat Canadians fairly no matter where they live. When it comes specifically to the Employment Insurance Act and its provisions, I would like to say to the hon. member that the government will be there, encouraging the use of work sharing and making sure that claims are processed as quickly as possible. We understand and appreciate the significant impact that this is having on Canadians across the country.

[Health, June 9th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member makes direct reference to work-sharing. I would like to advise her and the whole House that to date we have 94 work-sharing agreements in place in the city of Toronto.

I would like to congratulate those employers and employees who see this as a natural opportunity for them to deal with this difficult time.

[Agriculture, June 9th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, the Government of Canada is treating Canadians fairly, no matter where they live across the country.

With regard to the waiving of the two week period associated with health realities associated with SARS, this has been applied equally across the country. Sixty-four Canadians in the western provinces are benefiting from it.

We are aggressively working with employers and employees to implement flexible standards of the work-sharing provisions as well as ensure that we are processing employment insurance claims as quickly as possible, because we know individuals who are laid off need those benefits urgently.

[Question No. 226, June 6th, 2003]

The employment insurance’s, EI, goal is to maintain service levels to 28 days for claims for benefits. This means that the department has an established national performance target of advising claimants of entitlement to benefits and is issuing payments within 28 days of the commencement date of a claim, which is achieved in 75% of the cases.

Statistics and performances are not available by economic region. Therefore they are tracked and reported nationally and regionally for Canada and by province.

Nationally, for the period January to March 2003, EI benefits were issued on average within 16 days of receipt of the claim for benefits.

Please find attached a chart which highlights actual performance results by province on a quarterly basis.

Average number of days from receipt to payment

[Employment Insurance, June 3rd, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, as the Ministers of Agriculture and Transport have said, the government understands the seriousness of the circumstances.

We certainly want to ensure that the border is opened as quickly as possible. However, in the interim, I want the hon. member to know that the employment insurance is there and that officials are working proactively to assist those who are laid off to ensure that they get their income supports as quickly as possible, but also to discuss the opportunities that are there through work sharing.

The hon. member makes reference to the waiving of the two week waiting period. Indeed he is correct, it was done for health measures. It was done for those who are in quarantine to stop the spread of a communicable disease. This waiving--

[Employment Insurance, June 2nd, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, if the hon. member is making reference to a specific case, I would be glad to look into it in detail. Indeed, when it comes to ensuring that there is employment insurance, it is there as an insurance program. It has to be clear that people have been employed and then are laid off.

If he would like to bring the details forward, I would be pleased to look at them.

[Softwood Lumber, June 2nd, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, on the contrary, we recognized that there may be some significant impact on this trade dispute in the industry and amongst the workers. That is why we announced a $246 million program recognizing the potential impact there.

I want to convey to the hon. member that the employment insurance system is there and will be responsive to the needs of those workers who find themselves laid off. In addition, we are working at the community level through the agencies to build increasing opportunities in the communities that may be affected.

[Fisheries, May 29th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, what the hon. member can count on is that we are always responsive. We look at the circumstances that face the labour market and respond to them as effectively as possible.

I take this opportunity to remind the House how effectively the employment insurance system does work, how responsive it is, how it changes with increasing or decreasing levels of employment, how it is financed and how it is there to respond to the needs of Canadians when they need it.

[Softwood Lumber, May 28th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, I will explain again that the waiving of the two week waiting period is strictly for those who are under quarantine and cannot get out to work.

With specific reference to the softwood lumber industry, I want to point out that the employment insurance system is there and will cover the vast majority of those individuals to whom the hon. member makes reference.

In addition, we have made changes to the work sharing agreement and that specifically says that we believe in this industry. We want to ensure that individuals who work in the softwood industry have the opportunity to remain connected to it and get additional training to upgrade their skills in that industry. We believe there is a future--

[Agriculture, May 28th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, there is no double standard. I would implore the hon. member to understand the circumstances around which waiving the two week waiting period was undertaken. It is precisely for those who are quarantined, who cannot leave their homes, who cannot go to work and who have to have the opportunity to have income support for their families.

There are other aspects of the employment insurance system that are there. They are working and working well. My officials are working with employers and employees to ensure they understand all aspects of the program and have the full benefit of those programs.