Canada NewsWire
GATINEAU, QC, April 29, 2022
GATINEAU, QC, April 29, 2022 /CNW/ – Canada wants an Employment Insurance coverage (EI) system for the twenty first century—one which higher meets the wants of employees and employers. As our financial system continues to get better from the pandemic and emergency applications wind down, the Authorities of Canada is consulting with Canadians to construct an EI system that’s easier, fairer, and extra versatile.
The plan to modernize Canada’s EI system have to be straight knowledgeable by the individuals who will likely be impacted. That’s the reason right now, the Minister of Employment, Workforce Growth and Incapacity Inclusion, Carla Qualtrough, the Canada Employment Insurance coverage Fee’s Commissioner for Employees, Pierre Laliberté, and the Canada Employment Insurance coverage Fee’s Commissioner for Employers, Nancy Healey, launched the second section of consultations to modernize the EI program.
All Canadians are welcome to supply suggestions by visiting the Consulting with Canadians web site. This section of consultations will discover the adequacy of EI advantages, specifically by inspecting whether or not the quantity and period of EI advantages meet the aims of this system and the wants of these contributing to EI. It should additionally deal with the monetary sustainability of the EI program by balancing prices with advantages and limiting the necessity for premium will increase. Roundtable discussions will happen with employee and employer teams and different EI specialists starting in mid-Could. The consultations will run till July 29, 2022.
To assist inform Canadians, the Authorities has additionally launched a What We Heard report, which summarizes the important thing takeaways from the primary section of consultations.
From August 2021 to February 2022, greater than 1,900 Canadians and 200 stakeholder teams from throughout the nation representing employees, employers, unions, business teams and lecturers shared their expertise and experience to assist modernize EI and make this system extra resilient, accessible, ample and financially sustainable.
The Authorities heard concerning the significance of reforming the EI program in order that it’s easier, extra responsive, inclusive and sustainable. The system should evolve to assist totally different sorts of employees, together with gig employees and self-employed employees. It wants to higher assist employees of their instances of want whereas selling attachment to the workforce, notably throughout instances of labour shortages.
Price range 2022 reaffirms the Authorities’s dedication to constructing an EI program that features easier and fairer guidelines for employees and employers, new methods to assist skilled employees transitioning to a brand new profession, and protection for self-employed and gig employees. It additionally renews the Authorities’s dedication to implement different necessary modifications to the EI program. This contains growing EI illness advantages for Canadians who’re dealing with sickness or damage from 15 weeks to 26 weeks later this yr. To assist seasonal employees, Price range 2022 additionally proposes to increase measures that add 5 extra weeks of normal advantages to seasonal claimants in 13 focused EI financial areas till October 2023, whereas the Authorities considers longer-term measures that finest meet the wants of seasonal employees.
The Authorities will develop and launch its long-term plan for the way forward for EI after the second section of consultations conclude in 2022.
Quotes
“The final two years have proven us simply how necessary EI is, but additionally how significantly better Canada’s system might be. That is why we’re working carefully with employers, employees, unions and different companions throughout the nation to make EI fairer, easier, and extra versatile. Modernizing a system that serves tens of millions of Canadians every year can have critical implications on our financial system and its workforce, and we’re taking the time wanted to get it proper.”
– Minister of Employment, Workforce Growth and Incapacity Inclusion, Carla Qualtrough
“Employees share our view that the EI program should adapt to higher meet the wants of Canada’s employees. Through the first section of consultations, stakeholders shared their views on many necessary and well timed points. From enhancing entry and suppleness of advantages to supporting seasonal employees within the low season to serving to skilled employees transition to new careers, Canada’s employees have contributed considerably to our consultations. Within the second section, we stay up for persevering with the dialog on topics comparable to profit adequacy and the financing of this system. Our aim is to maneuver ahead and enhance the EI program in order that it meets the wants of all working Canadians.”
– Pierre Laliberté, Commissioner for Employees, Canada Employment Insurance coverage Fee
“Employers play a essential function within the EI program. Over the past a number of months we now have heard clearly from our stakeholders concerning the significance of contemplating prices to the EI program and the necessity to higher perceive the implications of proposed reforms. Adjustments to the EI program needs to be thought-about within the context of right now’s financial system and labour market realities. Within the second section of consultations, we’ll take a deeper dive into these points and extra, with an purpose of balancing the wants of employers and workers to higher serve the wants of our evolving financial system.”
– Nancy Healey, Commissioner for Employers, Canada Employment Insurance coverage Fee
Fast Information
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Price range 2021 invested $5 million over two years, beginning in fiscal yr 2021 to 2022, for the Authorities to conduct focused consultations with Canadians and stakeholders from throughout the nation on future and long-term EI enhancements.
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The primary section of the consultations targeted on altering nature of labor, entry to EI, simplifying EI, self-employed and gig employees, life occasions, seasonal work and the Premium Discount Program.
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Along with the opening and shutting roundtables, Minister Qualtrough and the EI commissioners hosted 4 nationwide stakeholder roundtables on the themes of entry to EI, life occasions, and self-employed and gig employees. The Authorities additionally hosted 11 digital regional stakeholder roundtables, one in every province and one within the territories. There have been additionally 4 officials-led roundtables on seasonal work and the Premium Discount Program.
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The web consultations generated greater than 1,900 responses to the web questionnaire from people throughout the nation and greater than 70 written submissions from teams and people representing employers, employees and unions.
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These EI consultations are constructing on earlier work such because the evaluate of the EI program carried out by the Standing Committee on Human Assets, Expertise and Social Growth and the Standing of Individuals with Disabilities (2021), the Employment Insurance coverage Service High quality Evaluate Report (2017) and the EI Particular Advantages on-line consultations (2016).
Associated Merchandise
What We Heard report
Consulting with Canadians
Related Hyperlinks
Joint assertion on the launch of consultations
Joint assertion on the tip of section one consultations
Price range 2021: A Restoration Plan for Jobs, Progress, and Resilience
Price range 2022: A Plan to Develop Our Financial system and Make Life Extra Inexpensive
SOURCE Employment and Social Growth Canada