Commons committee calls for reshaping of EI to cover gig workers, self-employed
A House of Commons committee is recommending a boost to the value and duration of employment insurance benefits, and expanding the system to cover gig workers and the self-employed.
Its report Thursday also asks whether special benefits, such as maternity and parental leave, should be hived off into their own program, and recommends extending sickness benefits to 50 weeks.
To pay for the moves, the committee says federal officials should look at having the government again help finance EI alongside premiums paid by employees and employers.
The committee says EI no longer reflects the realities of today's labour market, nor is it well positioned to respond to sudden disruptions like the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a dissenting opinion, the Bloc Quebecois underlined the need for reforms, but outlined the party's concern that the opportunity for change would be lost to usual government complacency.
Last year, the government effectively shut down parts of the EI system over concerns that historic job losses at the start of the pandemic would crash the decades-old program, and instead put unemployed Canadians onto emergency pandemic aid.
The situation highlighted issues long known about EI, including how not all workers can qualify for benefits, and more are blocked entirely.
April's federal budget committed $5 million for a two-year review of EI, which the government hopes will allow time to begin badly needed upgrades to the aging computer system that runs the program.
The federal budget also proposed $648 million over seven years to fund a long-term technological upgrade to the EI system, the oldest portions of which rely on programming language from the 1960s.
In the meantime, the government is also planning to extend some pandemic-related measures that the committee believes should become permanent, such as lowering the bar to qualify and eliminating the one-week wait before receiving benefits.
The parliamentary budget officer on Thursday estimated that allowing workers to qualify for benefits after 420 hours of work, rather than 600 or more, will cost federal coffers $574 million this year, and $930 million in the ensuing 12-month period.
A second report estimated that waiving the one-week waiting period for benefits would cost $356 million over two years, just above the $320 million outlined in the budget.
Conservatives on the committee noted ongoing concerns with unemployed new mothers who, after being caught by the social safety net, don't have enough hours to qualify for maternity and parental leave benefits. The party urged the government to quickly close the loophole.
"It is a national shame that these women, despite paying into the EI system for years, are now ineligible for maternity benefits and forced to cut short precious time with their newborns to return to work so they can provide for their growing families," reads the Opposition's dissenting report.
The committee also suggested federal officials look at how to make it easier for new parents on EI-funded leave to work without jeopardizing their federal benefits, known as "working-while-on-claim."
A new study from the Institute for Research on Public Policy finds that EI claimants who worked while on claim were more likely to take up part-time work or to work more hours, which improved their job prospects.
With about half of EI claimants making use of the provisions, the study's authors make a similar recommendation to the committee, but add that the earnings limit rises during economic downturns when part-time jobs tend to be more plentiful and accessible.
Many of the committee's recommendations also match calls from Unifor, the nation's largest private-sector union, including ensuring migrant workers can qualify for benefits and improving retraining options.
"We have no time to waste," said Unifor national president Jerry Dias in a statement accompanying the release of his union's EI recommendations.
"Decades of cuts have left Canada's workers vulnerable to employer exploitation and reliant on a program that leaves far too many out."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 17, 2021.
IN DEPTH
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
Trudeau, key election players to testify at foreign interference hearings. What you need to know
The public hearings portion of the federal inquiry into foreign interference in Canadian elections and democratic institutions are picking back up this week. Here's what you need to know.
Who is supporting, opposing new online harms bill?
Now that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's sweeping online harms legislation is before Parliament, allowing key stakeholders, major platforms, and Canadians with direct personal experience with abuse to dig in and see what's being proposed, reaction is streaming in. CTVNews.ca has rounded up reaction, and here's how Bill C-63 is going over.
As Poilievre sides with Smith on trans restrictions, former Conservative candidate says he's 'playing with fire'
Siding with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith on her proposed restrictions on transgender youth, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre confirmed Wednesday that he is against trans and non-binary minors using puberty blockers.
TREND LINE What Nanos' tracking tells us about Canadians' mood, party preference heading into 2024
Heading into a new year, Canadians aren't feeling overly optimistic about the direction the country is heading, with the number of voters indicating negative views about the federal government's performance at the highest in a decade, national tracking from Nanos Research shows.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn’t be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
opinion Don Martin: Pierre Poilievre's road to apparent victory will soon start to get rougher
Pierre Poilievre and his Conservatives appear to be on cruise control to a rendezvous with the leader's prime ministerial ambition, but in his latest column for CTVNews.ca, Don Martin questions whether the Conservative leader may be peaking too soon.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
BUDGET 2024 Feds cutting 5,000 public service jobs, looking to turn underused buildings into housing
Five thousand public service jobs will be cut over the next four years, while underused federal office buildings, Canada Post properties and the National Defence Medical Centre in Ottawa could be turned into new housing units, as the federal government looks to find billions of dollars in savings and boost the country's housing portfolio.
Some of the winners and losers in the 2024 federal budget
With a variety of fiscal and policy measures announced in the federal budget, winners include small businesses and fintech companies while losers include the tobacco industry and Canadian pension funds.
From housing initiatives to a disability benefit, how the federal budget impacts you
From plans to boost new housing stock, encourage small businesses, and increase taxes on Canada’s top-earners, CTVNews.ca has sifted through the 416-page budget to find out what will make the biggest difference to your pocketbook.
Toronto police arrest several people at rail line protest
Several people have been arrested at a pro-Palestinian demonstration in the city’s west end that has been blocking rail lines for hours.
500 Newfoundlanders wound up on the same cruise and it turned into a rocking kitchen party
A Celebrity Apex cruise to the Caribbean this month turned into a rocking Newfoundland kitchen party when hundreds of people from Canada's easternmost province happened to be booked on the same ship.
Teen hockey players arrested for sexual assault following hazing incident: Manitoba RCMP
Three teenagers were arrested in connection with a pair of alleged hazing incidents on a Manitoba hockey team, police say.
B.C. killer seeks to attend sentencing by video as lawyer cites safety concerns
A defence lawyer for Ibrahim Ali, who was convicted of first-degree murder of a 13-year-old girl in Burnaby, B.C., says the man wants to appear at his sentencing hearing by video over fear for his safety.
Lululemon unveils first summer kit for Canada's Olympic and Paralympic teams
Lululemon showed off its collection for the Summer Olympics and Paralympics on Tuesday at the Liberty Grand entertainment complex. Athletes sported a variety of selections during a fashion show that featured garments to be worn on the podium, during opening and closing ceremonies, media interviews and daily life on the ground in France.
Local Spotlight
Ottawa barber shop steps away from Parliament Hill marks 100 years in business
Just steps from Parliament Hill is a barber shop that for the last 100 years has catered to everyone from prime ministers to tourists.
'It was a special game': Edmonton pinball player celebrates high score and shout out from game designer
A high score on a Foo Fighters pinball machine has Edmonton player Dave Formenti on a high.
'How much time do we have?': 'Contamination' in Prairie groundwater identified
A compound used to treat sour gas that's been linked to fertility issues in cattle has been found throughout groundwater in the Prairies, according to a new study.
'Why not do it together?': Lifelong friends take part in 'brosectomy' in Vancouver
While many people choose to keep their medical appointments private, four longtime friends decided to undergo vasectomies as a group in B.C.'s Lower Mainland.
Grain-gobbling bears spark 'no stopping' zone in Banff National Park
A popular highway in Alberta's Banff National Park now has a 'no stopping zone' to help protect two bears.
Deer family appears to accept B.C. man as one of their own
B.C. resident Robert Conrad spent thousands of hours on Crown land developing an unusual bond with deer.
Doorbell video shows family of black bears scared off by dog in Sudbury, Ont.
A Sudbury woman said her husband was bringing the recycling out to the curb Wednesday night when he had to make a 'mad dash' inside after seeing a bear.
Quebec teacher fired after taking leave to be on 'Survivor' reality TV series
A school teacher who took part in the Quebec version of the Survivor reality TV show took time off work to be a contestant is now out of a job.
Young P.E.I. actor fulfills childhood dream to play Anne Shirley
A young actor from Prince Edward Island is getting the chance to fulfill a childhood dream, playing the precocious and iconic Anne Shirley on stage.