Finance committee  First off, any claimant who has been doing some work while on claim would have been eligible to receive this treatment, with the exception of maternity and sickness claimants, where currently they face dollar-for-dollar reductions. Otherwise, anyone who was receiving regular bene

Finance committee  The series of pilots began in 2005. They were initially regional in nature. There have been some adjustments to the pilots over the years, as well as making them national in scope rather than regional.

Finance committee  Yes. I'll turn to Ms. Scales to comment.

Finance committee  Once they have hit that 90% then it is dollar for dollar beyond that until their EI benefits are reduced to zero. At the point where their benefits are reduced to zero, they simply do not receive an EI payment that week, and a claimant could still access that particular week of b

Finance committee  That's correct. The object of the pilot projects has been to determine which measures have had a greater impact on the incentive to work. Absent special rules in the program, when somebody earns a dollar, we would reduce their benefits by a dollar. These different measures have t

Finance committee  I would not say it's related to a particular case. It's taking a look at the EI program and its objectives to achieve an effective and efficient labour market. Along with that is looking at measures within the program that would create an incentive to return to work, and while a

Finance committee  Currently we see about 1.8 million to 1.9 million recipients of EI benefits annually. Roughly 1.3 million to 1.4 million receive regular benefits, and about 500,000 receive EI special benefits, so about 800,000 are working while on claim.

Finance committee  That's right. These provisions are administered essentially automatically through reporting by claimants, so every two weeks when they report on any earnings they have had while receiving EI benefits, we make adjustments. Service Canada, which delivers the service, makes adjustme

Finance committee  That's correct. The default rule of the current pilot project is being made permanent and the alternate rule of the current pilot project is being allowed to remain in place for a three-year period so if people have opted for the alternative treatment over the current pilot, whic

Finance committee  Good evening. As you may know, the employment insurance system provides workers who have lost their jobs with temporary income support, known as regular benefits. It also provides special benefits in specific circumstances that can arise during an individual's career. I am here