Status of Women committee  One comment I would begin with is that the new entrant/re-entrant requirement under EI has had a disproportionately negative effect on new immigrants in large urban centres. In other words, it's not simply a case that it's hard for women who have been engaged in caregiving to get access to EI, under the 910-hour rule, but that it's been quite well-documented, including by my colleagues at the Caledon Institute and elsewhere, that this is a challenge for immigrants too, that it's important to look at the relationship between immigrant status and gender in looking at the situation.

Status of Women committee  Could you just clarify if you're referring to which one of the three recommendations I mentioned or...?

Status of Women committee  I'm afraid I see them as absolutely integrated. I came along with about 12 or 14 others that I saw as priority. I was informed that even though I'm a researcher with a lot of data, I had 10 minutes. So I could also provide you with more; I'm afraid I'd have to say that. In particular, I think your region is an example of one in which the three are so intimately related.

Status of Women committee  This is where I'm going.

Status of Women committee  It ranges from 14 to 22 weeks, depending on the regional rate of unemployment, which I assume is higher in your region. I have the data to show you. In such cases, the earnings are divided by the larger number rather than the actual weeks worked, lowering benefits. The divisor rule can disadvantage temporary workers or people in an intermittent situation, so it's not surprising that many people are arguing for this best 12 weeks formula.

Status of Women committee  Exactly.

Status of Women committee  Indeed, and I think sound research. I would urge the members of this committee to call for this research. I'm privileged enough to be a professor, to be able to access certain kinds of data from Statistics Canada. I think this kind of reliable data should inform our policy decisions.

Status of Women committee  Yes, certainly. There are differences in the way in which the unemployed versus beneficiaries are measured. You'll know that in a study produced under the monitoring and assessment report, maybe three or four years ago, there was a discussion of different ways of measuring. One route of measuring is to look at the unemployed versus those who contribute, so the self-employed people who are unemployed, whom Sue Calhoun and Joan Macklin talked about, are not included in that measure.

Status of Women committee  Absolutely.I'll mention one.

Status of Women committee  If there are further questions, I can address them. I would argue, in commenting on my co-presenters' presentation, that I think it would be prudent to engage in a pilot project to explore two issues around extending EI coverage to self-employed women and to develop scenarios for who is a self-employed worker and develop possible models for EI policy that would be inclusive of such workers.

Status of Women committee  I've tried to show that the employment insurance system, despite the attempt to include part-time, temporary, and multiple job holders among the insured, still pivots on a full-time, full-year job, that is, on a 35-hour work week. I would argue, in response to your question, that it continues to pivot on a typical worker.

Status of Women committee  Thank you. Maybe I'll start with a concrete example, since I alluded to that. I would like to show you my other slide show, which I've submitted to the clerk. I mentioned the issue of qualifying and duration of regular benefits among industrial groups in which women predominate.

Status of Women committee  Indeed.

Status of Women committee  For workers now in the new-entrant/re-entrant category, a unified and lower qualifying requirement would, in turn, improve access and support to meaningful job search. Reducing qualifying requirements for regular EI would also make these benefits more accessible to workers recently returning from a maternity or paternity leave, who might otherwise not be able to qualify for such a claim in the face of unexpected layoffs.

Status of Women committee  Yes, indeed. Perhaps I could indicate my final two recommendations.