Dan Albas

[COVID-19 Pandemic, April 11th, 2020]

Mr. Chair, MPs work every year with Service Canada in order to be able to have this program go forward, but why make all MPs' offices responsible for removing unsuccessful applicants, finding new ones and managing the operations of this instead of simply having a second intake for essential organizations to apply?

[COVID-19 Pandemic, April 11th, 2020]

Mr. Chair, I believe in supporting our public servants as they support Canadians, but that was not an answer to the people who are sending me emails and asking specifically about this.

The Canada summer jobs program has been altered and we have sent multiple letters with questions, with no formal response. We expected the government would have removed those applicants who are no longer operating due to COVID, but now it expects the overworked offices of MPs to do that for them. Why is the government putting all responsibility on managing program applicants on MP offices and giving them only a week to do so?

[COVID-19 Pandemic, April 11th, 2020]

Mr. Chair, I appreciate the minister's contribution here, but I again do not want to see mistaken or flat out wrong information going out. Parliamentarians are struggling to deal with the many questions Canadians have and we do not want to further muddy the waters.

Over the past few days, I have heard from many people who applied for EI after March 15 and have not been paid, despite the fact the government said that applicants were processed. Why is it fair that someone who applies for CERB today will get paid in two days, but others have been waiting for weeks?

[COVID-19 Pandemic, April 11th, 2020]

Mr. Chair, the minister earlier said that changing the worker eligibility to add seasonal workers who are currently not working would require a legislative change. Presumably, this would be to section 6(1)(a), to remove the criteria, “ceasing working for reasons related to COVID-19”.

Earlier she said to the member for New Brunswick Southwest that it would take a regulatory change.

How would people who did not cease working due to COVID-19 be covered without changing the section of the act? I really need to know and Parliament needs to know if we are going to have to come back to fix this section of the act so that we can meet what the government has agreed to today with the motion, under point r).

[COVID-19 Pandemic, April 11th, 2020]

Mr. Chair, I asked earlier about parental benefits, and the minister answered that the CERB will not affect them, which is good, but we already knew that. What we do not know is, if expectant parents have not met their hourly thresholds due to layoffs, whether the government will adjust the program to allow them the benefits.

Can the minister please tell these concerned parents what to expect?

[COVID-19 Pandemic, April 11th, 2020]

Mr. Chair, we now know that anyone who applies for the CERB, regardless of eligibility, will get it.

Is it the government's plan to conduct audits on millions of people to determine who got it and who should not have? What will be the consequences of defrauding the taxpayer?

[COVID-19 Pandemic, April 11th, 2020]

Mr. Chair, the minister mentions speculation. I asked the minister earlier about whether she would need to have legislative changes in order to be able to deliver what the Prime Minister said. She said there would have to be.

When we were last here, I asked the Minister of Employment if seasonal workers were included under the CERB. She said that they were. We now know that they are not. Was she mistaken when she spoke or was there a policy change to exclude the seasonal workers?

[COVID-19 Pandemic, April 11th, 2020]

Mr. Chair, I also hope that the government is suggesting that people follow the law.

Can the minister confirm whether she has sought clarification as to when Parliament would have to be recalled for any legislation? We have members of Parliament who would like to know.

[COVID-19 Pandemic, April 11th, 2020]

Mr. Chair, the legislation that created the Canadian emergency response benefit has that someone must cease working due to COVID-19 to access the benefit. However, the Liberal MP for Malpeque has instructed seasonal workers and students who have lost their jobs to apply anyway. Also, the finance minister's own communications and issues manager has given contradictory direction to those who have not lost their jobs to consider applying anyway.

Is this just confusion or is the government instructing people to violate the law and apply when they are not eligible?

[COVID-19 Pandemic, April 11th, 2020]

Mr. Chair, can the minister explain whether legislative changes would be required to the CERB for this to come into effect?