Finance committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. Division 20 proposes one significant change to the Government Employees Compensation Act that will allow prescribed entities to be subrogated to the rights of employees to pursue claims against third parties. The current legislation was enacted in 1918. I

Finance committee  The change was prompted by the fact that 60% of the claims are against crown corporations. And 60% of that 60% are claims against one crown corporation. They are largely tasked with dog bites, and very often the employer would want to pursue the homeowner rather than the federal

Finance committee  The employee can claim the benefits under the Government Employees Compensation Act. In doing so, the claim is subrogated to the government. This is proposing that it be subrogated to the crown corporation. The other option is for the employee to refuse the benefit and sue the ho

Finance committee  Well, I gave that as an example, because we see those quite often.

Finance committee  That's right. Exactly.

Finance committee  It applies simply to public servants and employees of crown corporations and other agencies. I'm not quite sure if you fit into one of those.

Finance committee  The overall dollar figure to us is about $260,000. Those are our costs. I don't know what the overall cost is, but it would range from very small amounts to some more significant ones. This covers fatalities, as you can well imagine, so it varies considerably. I don't know what t

Finance committee  Yes.

Finance committee  Thank you.

Finance committee  Thank you, Chair. The proposal in division 42 is to repeal subsection 42(2) of the Employment Equity Act, which currently provides that the minister shall ensure that the requirements under the federal contractors program are equivalent to the requirements under the Employment E

Finance committee  The change does not affect the Employment Equity Act at all. The only thing it affects is the federal contractors program. The federal contractors program, as I said earlier, applies only to provincially regulated employers who would be seeking a contract with the federal governm

Finance committee  That will continue because the Employment Equity Act applies to all federally regulated employers.

Finance committee  It's not being abandoned. Those requirements can still be inserted.

Finance committee  That's right. That's the change.

Finance committee  I don't know that there is a step back from it. I understand the differences: one is a mandatory requirement and the other, the proposed change, would allow flexibility. Under the federal contractors program, what's being proposed is, number one, to increase the number. As it is