Mr. Speaker, the employment insurance file is an important one across our entire country, and is of particular significance in the small towns and rural communities in my home riding of Central Nova.
There is some common ground between the proposed motion and my views. In fact, I campaigned on a number of the points that found their way into today's motion. However, to two preliminary objections will prevent me from supporting the motion.
The first is that there are ongoing efforts by the minister and by the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities to conduct a review of the employment insurance portfolio. I fear the rushed process will lead to an incomplete result that will undermine these positive initiatives.
It is in the best interest of Canadians, and my constituents, to allow the government to deliver on its ambitious campaign commitments after a proper and fulsome review is complete, which considers how Canadians can derive the maximum benefit from the program in communities all over our great country.
In addition, the imposition of a universal qualifying threshold of 360 hours will not create regional equity that recognizes nuances that exist within regional economies.
EI is a critical program to support Canadians faced with job loss or challenging life events. In my own backyard, we have an economy that was historically built on primary industry, such as fishing, forestry, and farming. Being on both the eastern shore and the Northumberland Strait, the riding naturally relies on tourism as well.
Each of these industries relies on a talented group of hard-working seasonal employees who need a strong EI system to protect these historic economic drivers of our region. The disrespect that these workers receive when seeking benefits can be astonishing at times. They form the backbone of a regional economy that supports year-round workers and should be treated with the respect that they deserve.
Moreover, when seasonal workers are forced to leave their jobs or leave their area, it causes an increase in the cost of business because the requirement for employers to train new employees who may only be around for one season.
The timeliness of this discussion is also very important to me in light of some recent developments at home. One of the historically largest employers in my community closed just a week ago. These economic challenges may be present in my riding, but I know Central Nova does not have a monopoly on difficult economic circumstances.
Different regions have different challenges, but all Canadians depend on a strong safety net to help workers deal with changes in their careers and their lives during difficult times.
The EI program is specifically designed to respond to economic changes like this. There is flexibility built into the program that allows it to respond to deteriorating economic conditions and changes in our local labour markets as measured by regional unemployment rates.
When a region's unemployment rate rises, the entrance requirement is reduced and the duration of benefits increases. There is built-in flexibility, but we know that we can do even better. We can do more to make the program more relevant and responsive to the needs of Canadians today and in the future.
In addition to reacting to changing life circumstances, a strong EI program can help employers avoid layoffs and protect the jobs of local workers through proactive measures, such as the work-sharing program. The work-sharing program, under the EI system, is in place for precisely this purpose. It is an adjustment program designed to help employers and employees avoid layoffs when there is a temporary downturn in business that is beyond the control of the employer. The program provides income support to eligible employees who agree to work a temporarily reduced work week while their employer regains financial footing. The goal is for all the participating employees to return to normal levels of working hours by the end of the work-sharing agreement.
Work-sharing allows employers to retain valued skilled employees and avoid unnecessary rehiring and retraining costs when their business returns to normal levels. At the same time, the program helps employees keep their jobs and maintain their skills, as well as an income during difficult times.
I am very proud to support the government's agenda to improve the quality of service that Canadians have come to expect and will receive from the EI portfolio. Our government is committed to improving access and flexibility the EI program to better support the needs of all Canadians.
We are moving forward with initiatives, such as eliminating discrimination against workers who are newly entering or re-entering the workforce, by changing the requirement that new employees work 910 hours before accessing benefits. This policy has a disproportionate impact on young people; those who are recovering from serious illness; and women, who more often than men make professional sacrifices to raise young families before re-entering the workforce. The appropriate threshold needs to be responsive to the regional realities that reflect the needs of people on the ground in their day-to-day lives.
Of course, we are committed to reversing the prior government's 2012 changes to the EI system, which force unemployed workers to move away from their families and out of their communities to take lower-paying jobs. These challenges have a dramatic impact at home for my friends and neighbours. In Central Nova and much of Atlantic Canada, out-migration of youth and working-age community members is a major social demographic problem. Out east, we love our communities as much as anyone in this country. The previous government's policy would exacerbate this negative social trend by kicking people when they are down, by demanding that when they lose their job they have to leave their home as well.
When young people back home are told they need to leave their community, they often leave the province or the country instead, in search of greener pastures, rather than leaving their home town to take a lesser-paying job 100 kilometres away. This phenomenon leaves fewer tax-paying and hard-working workers in a region with an aging population, which has the effect of putting an additional social strain on the province's health care systems.
The government's agenda has also contemplated how the program can help Canadian families. We have pledged to develop more flexible parental benefits and to ease access to EI support for caregivers through the compassionate care benefit, when a family member is suffering from a serious illness. We also plan to reduce wait times to assist families who experience the stress of not knowing where the next rent cheque will come from when faced with difficult changes in their lives and their careers. In addition, we plan to reduce EI premiums to allow employers and families to keep more of their money, to promote a fair and more efficient Canadian economy.
Improving the EI system is not an easy task, so we want to give it the attention it deserves and get it right the first time around. It is important that any program changes be founded on a sound analysis of the evidence, and that careful consideration be given to labour-market impacts and the costs of individual measures. The government is planning to evaluate the success of the EI system and it will assess whether it is delivering its core mandate to provide income security to workers in an ever-changing labour market.
My constituents and Canadians across our country deserve a policy that is informed by the hon. minister's thorough review of this important file, so they can access a system that effectively identifies and responds to their needs, to help build a strong economy that works for all of us. We want a better future for the economy and the country.
I look forward to working with my colleagues from every party in this House to develop a policy that works for all Canadians. If we all work together, we can build on the work already under way and ensure that all Canadians have a real and fair chance at success.
