:
I call this meeting to order.
Welcome to meeting number six of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities.
Today’s meeting is taking place in a hybrid format, pursuant to the House order of September 23, 2020. The proceedings are being made available via the House of Commons website. The webcast will always show the person speaking rather than the entirety of the committee.
We have with us this evening an experienced group of parliamentarians and witnesses, so I'm going to spare you all of the repetitive detail. I'll just remind you that when you're speaking, your mike should be open, and when you're not, it should be closed. Please address all comments through the chair.
Pursuant to Standing Order 81(4) and the order of reference of Wednesday, September 30, 2020, the committee will continue its consideration of the main estimates for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2021, and pursuant to Standing Order 81(5) and the order of reference of Thursday, October 22, 2020, the committee will now also consider the supplementary estimates (B) for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2021.
I will now call vote 1b under Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, which will permit general discussion of the supplementary estimates (B) and the questioning of witnesses.
It's my pleasure to welcome our witnesses, the Honourable Filomena Tassi, Minister of Labour. From the Department of Employment and Social Development, we have Gary Robertson, acting deputy minister, labour program; Anthony Giles, assistant deputy minister, labour program, policy, dispute resolution and international affairs directorate; Brenda Baxter, acting assistant deputy minister, labour program, compliance, operations and program development directorate; and Mark Perlman, chief financial officer and senior assistant deputy minister.
Madam Minister, you have five minutes for your opening remarks.
Good evening to you, to members of the committee and to the officials who are joining us this evening. Thank you for inviting me to be with you.
I'm thrilled to join you virtually from the traditional territory of the Haudenosaunee and Anishinabe peoples within the treaty covered by the Upper Canada treaties, as well as the Dish With One Spoon wampum agreement, to discuss the main estimates and supplementary estimates (B) for Employment and Social Development Canada’s labour program.
This year, the department's main estimates present a total of $68.6 billion in planned budgetary expenditures to carry out its mandate during the 2020–21 fiscal year. More than 94% of this amount will directly benefit Canadians through the department’s programs, services and initiatives. We are proud of the work we do to help Canadians build better lives for themselves and their families, and to be resilient in facing the challenges.
The Government of Canada took a number of extraordinary but necessary steps to protect and support Canadian workers and businesses during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. To make sure that employees in federally regulated workplaces would be able to take time off work to deal with situations related to COVID-19, like school closures and self-isolation, the government introduced a new job-protected leave under the Canada Labour Code. We also waived medical certificate requirements to access certain existing leave.
In addition, the government took action to protect the employment of employees in the federally regulated private sector. New measures gave employers more time to recall employees who were temporarily laid off due to the pandemic. This gives workers a better chance of staying connected with their organization, and puts employers in a better position to restart, or start growing their business, as we transition out of the pandemic. This is a big part of building back better.
As well, the government temporarily extended the eligible wages period for the wage earner protection program by up to six months. We did so to ensure that any delays in insolvency proceedings, due to the pandemic, did not harm, hurt or compromise the worker's eligibility for that program. Moreover, throughout the pandemic, we have been reminding employers of the importance of having an evergreen hazard prevention plan.
That leads me to my portfolio’s supplementary estimates (B). The department is requesting $0.4 million related to supporting business resumption for federally regulated employers.
The COVID-19 pandemic has created challenges on many fronts for workers and employers in Canada. An effective business resumption requires focused occupational health and safety efforts, including addressing mental health. That’s why the labour program will increase proactive occupational health and safety activities, outreach and guidance, as well as enhance technical and mental health expertise to support business resumption in the federally regulated sector.
The government recently announced that the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety will receive $2.5 million over two years to continue the excellent work it has been doing to provide COVID-19 resources to the workplaces. This funding is part of the coordinated efforts by federal, provincial and territorial governments, public health authorities and CCOHS to ensure that businesses have the necessary tools to protect their employees.
One of the key pieces moving forward is ensuring workplaces are both safe and equitable. That is why we are implementing the Pay Equity Act, which introduces a proactive pay equity regime that will ensure that people working in federally regulated workplaces receive equal pay for work of equal value.
This unlocks people's productivity, creativity and enthusiasm, because they know they are being paid justly. Quite frankly, we have told our children that women and men are co-equals. It's high time that our legislation indicated that we practice what we preach. In fact, I am sure future generations will find it bizarre that this debate was ever had.
We are also raising awareness of wage gaps that affect women, indigenous people, people with disabilities and visible minorities in the federally regulated workplaces through new pay transparency measures.
As you know, we passed legislation to help prevent violence and harassment in the workplace. We will soon move forward with implementation of this legislation and regulations, which will come into force on January 1, 2021.
Workplaces are evolving even faster now due to the pandemic. Mental health is a key element of occupational health and safety. That's why we will consult and work with unions, workers, employers and experts to further improve support for mental health of workers.
Mr. Chair, these are just some of the actions we are taking. There's no doubt that the financial resources requested under these main estimates and supplementary estimates (B) will enable us to continue this work. These efforts we are making, which connect things we are already doing with our direct response to the COVID-19 pandemic, are all part of our government's plan to build back better for all Canadians.
I will now be pleased to take your questions.
There was obviously no time for anyone on the federal side to meaningfully liaise with the provinces when Bill became Bill , rewritten at the eleventh hour in September as a result of the confidence vote concessions to the NDP, which included the two-week paid sick leave. I've heard concern in recent weeks from some Ontario small businesses that the paid leave provisions are so broad, they fear—they haven't yet experienced it, or at least no one's told me they have—possible future unwarranted absenteeism.
Have the provinces accepted specifically the two-week paid sick leave, which overrides some provincial private sector sick leave provisions, or are you leaving provinces to decide whether or not it applies to the private sector?
:
Thank you, Mr. Chair, and good evening, Minister. It's great to see you. I harken back to our days when we sat together on HUMA.
I am obviously coming to you from the beautiful riding of Saint John—Rothesay, located on the unceded territory of the Wolastoqey peoples.
Minister, you know my riding and you know the strong labour component to the riding. I wanted to touch base, talk to you a little bit about pay equity and ask you some questions on that. We've seen over the last nine months the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. It's been more severe, obviously, for some Canadians than others. In fact, the pandemic has highlighted a variety of systemic inequalities that need to be addressed.
Minister, you know my riding and the wonderful labour leaders in it, like Darlene Bembridge, Ciara Vanderbeck, Angela Campbell and Maureen O'Hearon-Lang, from the Public Service Alliance; Erin Howell Sharpe, whom you've met, from Unifor; and Tammy Nadeau and Sharon Teare from CUPE. Obviously we work with them daily and hand in hand, but when it comes to equal pay for equal value, according to recent data, women earn 89 cents for every dollar earned by men. In 2018, our government put forward and Parliament adopted a revised Pay Equity Act. Recently the draft regulations were released and consultations will run until January 13, 2021.
Minister, can you tell the committee what these regulations will mean for Canadians when they come into force?
:
Thanks, MP Long. It's nice to see you virtually. I do remember the days on HUMA, and they were good days.
In my view, this is transformational legislation because it's not just about giving men and women equal pay for doing the same job. This is about giving women equal pay for work of equal value. That's the transformational piece. We know that when women can count on equal pay for work of equal value, there's not only a moral imperative. It's not only the right thing to do, but it's also the smart thing to do. Our economy is going to grow stronger.
We have been moving forward with this. We think it's very important. We have appointed the first pay equity commissioner, Karen Jensen, and she and her team are working now on materials and resources for employers, because we want to make this transition an easy one. She and her team are working very hard. I've had a couple of conversations with her, and then, as you have said, on November 13, the regulations were published in the Canada Gazette, part I. There is a 60-day consultation period now and it's really important that we hear from stakeholders. We don't want to just get this through fast. We want to do it the right way, so there is a 60-day consultation period. With the feedback we get after the consultation period, we will be moving forward and putting it in the Canada Gazette, part II, with, hopefully, a coming-into-force date later in 2021.
:
I appreciate the question and the concerns that some are raising, but I think it's really important to take a look at what we are doing here.
As I have said, it's not just the right thing to do; there is a moral imperative to do this. As I said in my opening remarks, women should be receiving equal pay when they are doing work of equal value, but the second part is the economic benefit, and the economic benefits have proven themselves.
Over the last 40 years the greater participation of women in the workforce has resulted in about one-third of Canada's economic growth, and there are estimates that Canada could add $150 billion in the next decade by taking steps towards getting more women into the workforce.
This is something that I think is a priority. I'm happy it's a priority for the government. We're going to continue. We know this is going to benefit all Canadians. I'm very confident that Karen Jensen, as the commissioner, is going to do a fantastic job. We look forward to bringing this in fact into fruition.
We're committed to reducing the gender wage gap, and this is going to do that. The result of this is going to be that pay is going to be transparent for the four groups that are subject to this—women, indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities and visible minorities—and this is going to provide Canadians with a user-friendly availability to see where the gaps are. Then, of course, the result is going to be that the employers are going to respond to those gaps by making efforts to correct them.
This is another measure that we think is important in moving forward. Getting rid of that wage gap is going to encourage women and the other groups to continue in the workforce, and we want to do that because we want everyone to have an equal opportunity.
Madam Minister, we are pleased to have you here. I hope you are doing well.
I wanted to ask you some questions related to pay equity, but I will come back to that.
My first question is this. Your first mandate letter, after the election, called for a minimum wage of $15 per hour for people working in the federally regulated sector. The crisis revealed that the guardian angels or essential workers we heard so much about were, for the most part, the lowest-paid workers. The mandate you had makes so much sense.
In the main estimates, money was to be allocated to implement this amendment to the Labour Code.
Where are you in the process of increasing the minimum wage to $15 an hour?
:
Thank you for the question, Ms. Chabot.
[English]
It's very nice to see you. Thank you for the important question.
As you can appreciate, my focus, of course, has been on occupational health and safety, ensuring that workers are kept safe. Of course, the pandemic has presented a lot of challenges, but there are other commitments in my mandate letter. I think COVID-19 has absolutely demonstrated the importance of our moving forward with the $15 federal minimum wage.
This was a commitment we made during the campaign, again then reaffirmed in my mandate letter, and we want to make sure that we get this right. I agree with you absolutely that we have a lot of workers who are packing our groceries, stocking shelves and keeping us safe during this time, and although the federal minimum wage would apply to federally regulated workers, this is an opportunity to show leadership. I am committed to maintaining this as a priority as we move forward.
:
I will turn to my officials to get clarification with respect to the actual number and what is going to what program. Gary, I'll refer to you in a minute for that.
With respect to employment equity, it's my strong opinion that everybody deserves a fair chance to succeed.
With respect to women in the workforce and with COVID-19, I think we saw some advances prior, but there's no question there's more work to be done with respect to the promotion of women. The initiatives the federal government has taken, like the passing of Bill to prevent violence and harassment in the workplace, the proactive pay equity legislation that I just spoke about, pay transparency, the commitment with respect to child care, and the $5 billion that has talked about with the women entrepreneurship program, are all going to help encourage women to be in the workforce.
I agree with you 100% in saying that we all benefit when we increase women in the workforce.
:
Thank you so much, Mr. Chair.
Thank you so much, Minister, for joining us today. It's really nice to have you here.
We know that, before COVID, people were left behind. I'm talking specifically about BIPOC individuals, persons with disabilities and women. We certainly know it has been occurring and that it has been exacerbated by COVID. I think we can assume that those who were left out before will be worse off after COVID.
In your opening comments you spoke about raising awareness of the wage gaps that affect women, indigenous people, people with disabilities and visible minorities in federally regulated workplaces to renew pay transparency measures.
We know we need immediate action to address gross inequalities but also systemic racism in the workplace. We need more than awareness. Other than raising awareness, what are some concrete actions you are taking to end discrimination against women, indigenous people, disabled persons and BIPOC persons? As part of these inequalities in wages, is your government considering a guaranteed livable basic income?
:
If I miss some of it, when we come back maybe you can flag that.
Pay transparency is there, so that there are public listings of the wage gaps that exist among the different people who are identified, whom we have mentioned. I think that's important because it demonstrates to employers who have those wage gaps that more needs to be done to address those wage gaps. Those wage gaps should not be there. We know they exist, so now this is going to be made public. It's going to be open for everyone to see and the employers will have the responsibility to do things to correct that wage gap.
In terms of other areas where we can do more, I agree with you that we absolutely have to do more. In terms of employment equity, I would like to see the playing field levelled or the floor raised, depending on how you view the issue, so that everyone has a chance to succeed, because when we give everyone a chance to succeed, we as Canadians all benefit. We know that when we can allow people—
:
I was happy to hear you mention measures to address mental health because we know the mental health, certainly and particularly, of front-line workers and essential workers during COVID has been hard hit understandably, but we also have seen incidents of poor treatment of workers during COVID, particularly those in food production, including migrant workers and newcomers. They have been subjected to employers who have shown a complete disregard for their workers' safety, well-being and human rights during the pandemic.
For example, I can think of the outbreak at the Maple Leaf facility in Brandon, Manitoba, and many others, including places in Ontario.
Many of the outbreaks have been in meat processing plants, for example, and many who work there are low-income workers and BIPOC. I was wondering if you could speak to whether your department is addressing this and what you will be doing in relation to the high number of COVID outbreaks in food production to better protect workers going forward.
:
That's a great question.
As I've said before, occupational health and safety and the safety of workers has been my number one priority, and that has been the focus. It's fantastic that we have organizations like the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety that are helping us to say, “Okay, food processing, here are the standards. Here's the guidance that you should follow in order to keep workers safe.”
I also want to point out that we have to acknowledge the difference between federal and provincial jurisdiction. We are putting supports in place, such as that investment with CCOHS, to ensure that workers are safe and to do what we can to support that. Every worker has the right to a safe work site.
In the federal jurisdiction, if a worker feels that their work site isn't safe, then they can make that claim and they will not be forced to work there. The labour program will go in, do an assessment, determine if the work site is safe or not, and if it's not safe, the employer has to fix that site and get it up to standard so that it is safe.
Those are the measures we are taking in order to keep workers safe.
:
Thank you, Minister, for being available to the committee today.
Long-term care homes in Canada, we know, have borne the brunt of this health crisis. In my capacity as shadow minister for seniors, I have had the opportunity to meet with many individuals and groups representing front-line health care workers in long-term care facilities.
The conditions that have been described in first-hand accounts are dire and are not unique to any individual home. While many of the challenges in the long-term care sector pre-existed COVID, they were exponentially heightened by this pandemic. Immediate actions are needed to safeguard the health, safety and well-being of long-term care residents and the staff who care for them.
One of these urgent and serious challenges is a sector-wide staffing crisis. In the supplementary estimates, there is an allocation of just under $12.5 million in funds for personal support workers—training and measures to address labour shortages in long-term care and home care.
Minister, I'm wondering how these funds are being used to address the urgent labour crisis in long-term care.
:
Thank you, MP Falk, for that important question.
We're very aware and very grateful for the workers who are in long-term care facilities.
I have spoken with Sharleen Stewart, who's the lead of the SEIU, and she has explained to me—Linda Silas, as well—the concerns with respect to long-term care workers, with respect to both the safety piece and burnout and the need to ensure we have more long-term care workers.
This provision that you're talking about is under 's jurisdiction. I know there is funding money set aside that is going to be used to train PSWs and long-term care workers.
:
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister Tassi, for giving us this time tonight, and thanks to the officials from the department.
Minister Tassi, you and I talked about mental health issues on a number of occasions prior to COVID. We know how important it is that people recognize that a part of health and safety is mental health. I was very glad to hear that you're doing even more and that your department is doing more.
Canadians, of course, are facing unimaginable pressures because of COVID, whether professionally or because of finances, and these stresses are going to linger for a long time. You talked about the government being committed to mental health. I'd like to drill down and understand what you have undertaken and what you are planning to do in order to address mental health concerns of workers in all sectors.
:
You know that mental health is an area that is extremely important to me. I'm happy that you've raised the question.
COVID-19 has absolutely taken a toll—emotional, psychological and social—on all Canadians. With respect to the mental health piece, when I convened the meeting with labour and industry, concern was expressed with respect to the mental health obstacles and challenges that workers were facing.
On behalf of the government, the introduced the Wellness Together Canada website, which is a good website because through that portal you can do everything, from reaching out and getting an assessment right up to talking to someone. I think that investment was really important and one that I know all Canadians, including workers, can access.
MHCC has put out numbers showing that 500,000 employees each week are unable to work because of mental health challenges, illness or issues. They say the cost to the economy is $6 billion a year. That's what they are saying. I'm happy to see that mental health as part of occupational health and safety is something that is included in my mandate letter. I look forward to moving forward with this particular mandate item because I think that mental health is absolutely a part of overall health. We have to ensure that workers are getting the mental health supports they need.
This is another thing that is a smart investment. In fact, 10 of Canada's largest companies have reported that for every dollar they have spent on mental health, in return they've received $1.62. That is an example of a worthwhile investment, an important investment, a much-needed investment, and at the end of the day employers will gain and benefit if their employees have the mental health supports they need.
Madam Minister, let's continue to talk about occupational health and safety and mental health or psychological health.
I know that this was a concern even before the pandemic, as reflected in your mandate letters. You are being asked to make mental health a specific element of occupational health and safety. I also know that you have been concerned about consulting with unions on these issues. I have heard about it in Quebec, and even from labour market partners.
My question is this, and you've already touched on it quite a bit.
You have budgets for mental health, but they are mainly the result of measures put in place by each of the provinces. In Quebec, the Commission des normes, de l'équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CNESST) takes care of that. Workers' mental health is increasingly recognized as one of the most significant stress factors, as all surveys show.
How, with additional budgets, are you able to coordinate and support the efforts that are being made in the provinces?
:
Thank you for that question. I'm very happy to have that question.
First, the federal government has demonstrated the importance of mental health. Prior to COVID-19, there was a $6-billion investment in mental health and providing mental health supports. Actually, I think it was $5 billion for mental health and $6 billion for palliative care and home care. It was $5 billion; sorry, I will correct myself. That was an area where, normally, we were not giving specific money for mental health, but we knew the importance.
COVID-19 has demonstrated this even more. As I've said—and I'm happy to hear that you're hearing that I'm engaging with unions—I have heard in my engagement with unions that this is really important. In terms of my mandate letter and including mental health as part of occupational health and safety, I think this is an important step forward. There is case law now that demonstrates that mental health should be a part of occupational health and the safety for our overall health. I know that, in terms of my mandate commitment, there is a discussion paper that is going out with respect to mental health and a survey, and that's going to be released very soon. I'm talking about within the next two weeks. That is an opportunity for us to get the information so that, as we move forward, if we are spending money, if we are putting supports in place, these are supports that are going to make a real difference in the lives of workers.
:
Through the $19-billion safe restart agreement, it was understood that a portion of those funds were going to be for those 10 days that, yes, the NDP advocated for and people agreed. You're absolutely right. If someone is sick, you don't want them going to work. You want them to be able to stay home.
In addition to that, under the Labour Code, we allowed job protection for that time. If people are sick, they don't have to worry. It's not only financial support. It's also the fact that they're not going to lose their jobs if they're off. They're taking time off because they're sick, or there are other measures they needed to take time off for because of COVID-19.
We're open to discussions in terms of how we move forward. The issue is really about the pandemic. We've had to work closely with the provinces and territories. This is provincial jurisdiction that we're moving into, and you can appreciate that. The pandemic has demonstrated the collaborative nature, and we can continue to dialogue to determine how we can get to a place that is going to best support workers.
In addition to the witnesses that were introduced at the outset of the meeting, I would like to welcome one additional witnesses, Elisha Ram, associate assistant deputy minister, skills and employment branch.
We're going to begin now with rounds of questions, beginning with the Conservatives.
I believe it's Ms. Falk. Is it?
:
I'd start off by acknowledging that the correctional officers as well as others, such as the food inspection officers, work in very challenging environments in the normal course of affairs, and certainly the current context makes that much more complicated. I just want to acknowledge that.
Having said that, without getting into too much detail, what I could say is that it is I think true that a decision was made three hours or so after the inspector spoke to that particular individual, but the broader picture is that the officer had done additional work and had additional interviews and interactions with other folks in that employment context. They did a complete review. Part of our process, because we're quite concerned about making sure we get it right in COVID in particular, is that there's always a program adviser—someone separate and apart from the officer—who provides them with advice and guidance and makes sure that they've considered all the various factors that they should in the current context before they render a decision.
What I would say is that I'm pretty sure that the process was followed. I take the point that a number of folks are concerned about the outcome of that. I would reiterate the point the made, which is that there is an opportunity to appeal to the CIRB. In fact, what I would offer is that the Canada Labour Code was set up in part II to ensure that there was not undue political interference at any point during the process. Therefore, when the officer acts, they act on behalf of the minister, and once they have a ruling, it's considered functus.
I wasn't familiar with the term before I filled this role, but functus officio basically means once the decision's made, it is permanent unless it's appealed and overturned. The CIRB really is the right organization to approach if there's a concern about the outcome.
Regarding personal protective equipment in federal institutions, I did write about certain labour issues on October 2, 2020. I have yet to receive a response, but one of the questions and one of the issues that federal union members raised with me was on the protocol around PPE. As you will note, at the very beginning of the pandemic in the spring there was not sufficient PPE in federal penitentiaries, and it was a very big problem. That's part of the reason why there was such a massive outbreak.
Have the PPE policies been updated since the spring, and what measures are available to officers to enforce the mandatory mask wearing and social distancing in common areas?
:
I want to get one more quick question in there.
I have four federal penitentiaries in my riding. There is also the need for broader public information to be made available to keep our community safe. In this instance, the Mission Institution is just a few kilometres up the road from where I am right now. There were no federal protocols in place to ensure that the decisions being made at the Mission Institution were shared with the broader community. The only avenue I had as an MP was to ask questions and go to federal officials myself and literally beg for them to communicate with the public.
How have you, as public servants in charge of labour policies, improved, or are you making improvements, to ensure that in cases where there is federal responsibility the broader public is being made aware of the decisions to ensure that they feel they're being kept safe as well? Our numbers in B.C. are only going up as it relates to COVID.
There are a number of pockets where programming activity has changed quite dramatically. If you'll permit, I'll just cover a few of them.
One of them is the wage earner protection program, which is a program we haven't covered yet tonight. It provides compensation to workers who were terminated as a result of being associated with a company that has gone bankrupt or into receivership. While the number of bankruptcies associated with this program are actually down slightly from the previous year, the number of individual applications have gone up. That means more large companies have gone into bankruptcy or into receivership.
[Technical difficulty—Editor] more activity there than we normally would. That particular program normally has a statutory cap of about $49 million, but we [Technical difficulty—Editor] close to $30 million compensating former employees in that capacity. We would project forward that we're likely to exceed that statutory cap, which is fine. If you meet the requirements, you get the money. There's no challenge for the individuals, but that program has grown quite a bit.
Another program is a Government Employees Compensation Act program. There, our volumes have actually gone down. Because a number of employees are working at home outside of the workplace, in the first quarter of this fiscal year we only had about 30% of our typical volume for that same period. In our second quarter, we only had about 60%. There's been a precipitous drop—if I can call it that—in the first half of this year.
If I turn to labour standards, because of the initial adjustment period, we're only at about 92% of our monetary complaint capacity. We're not far off of what it was last year. There is a fair amount of work going on there.
In our occupational health and safety area, we've actually reduced the amount of proactive work we have done historically fairly significantly. Our reactive work is still sitting at about 80%. That's driven principally based on complaints. There's quite a bit of variation through the various programs as a result of that.
In employment equity, which I didn't cover—the fifth program—we would have actually seen a delay in people submitting their reports, but we're not concerned about that.
In our international area, there's still been a fair amount of work with our colleagues in the provinces—as the minister spoke of—and also internationally. Also, our federal mediation and conciliation service is still very busy assisting stakeholders in the employment context to resolve outstanding challenges within their context.
I think that's a fairly broad coverage.
:
Thank you for the question.
On the ESDC side, we did obtain a commitment for a multi-year amount for the ESDC labour program, which will total $2.5 million. In the supplementary (B)s, you'll notice almost $500,000 of that, which is the first tranche. That is because the money will come late in this year. We'll have about a quarter of full activity and then four quarters of full activity next year.
CCOHS is also about to receive $2.5 million for activities that they'll undertake nationally and on behalf of all jurisdictions. Again, they're receiving about $1.3 million of that this year, with the balance to follow in the subsequent year.
The one element that doesn't pop out to you in the estimates as they're profiled here is that Transport Canada is also receiving just short of $200,000 this year and a balance of $800,000 next year for a total of $1 million. It's to do the same type of work as the labour program, but in the three modes of transportation that they're typically responsible for.
Good evening, everyone.
You have answered some of my questions. I had some questions about the wage earner protection program.
The minister also talked about that and the extension of the deadline. I understand that this budget has a cap. Please confirm if I understood it correctly.
However, our concern is that a lot more workers may be taking advantage of it because of COVID-19. It is estimated that, in Quebec alone, 18,000 SMEs are at risk of bankruptcy, hence the bill we introduced yesterday to protect pension funds if necessary.
However, this is not what the wage earner protection program provides for.
Can you tell us how many workers have registered in the program because of the pandemic and because of bankruptcy situations this year? Were there more than usual? Do you know how many?
I've already asked the minister my other question. Perhaps I wasn't clear enough, so let me try again.
The question is about the labour funding program, which has three components. There's the health and safety component, with $2.3 billion, and there's the employment equity program component, meaning women's equity.
Are these amounts broken down by program, and is it possible to find out how much is allocated to projects that address employment equity for women?
:
Thank you again for your question.
The documentation refers to $2.3 million, and about $500,000 is earmarked for employment equity activities. In fact, now we have a big project with Ryerson University.
[English]
Ryerson is right now conducting work to the tune of about $500,000 over the life of the project, for work that is expected to inform that particular area.
[Translation]
Another amount of approximately $1.7 million is planned for international activities related to our obligations with our international partner. If you have more questions about this amount, Mr. Giles will be able to answer them.
:
Thank you to all the witnesses for being here today. I know you have been working really hard, as all of us have during the pandemic.
My question is actually about child care workers, or early childhood educators. Although I know that its an overlapping jurisdiction, for many child care workers, conditions that really are conducive to meeting proper health and safety measures are non-existent. We know that child care workers are essential. Child care workers allow families to go to work, particularly women who have been really hard hit by the pandemic, yet in Manitoba—I'll give you one example—we recently had to return all the masks because they did not meet health and safety standards, and these masks were provided by the province.
This is horrific. It's not only unsafe for workers, but it's unsafe for children and it places families at risk. I'm wondering if your government or your department has any plans to put in place measures, national standards to protect child care workers.
:
There are two parts to my response. One is that at the federal level, we are having discussions with our colleagues in the provinces and territories about common approaches. While I know you're aware that we don't regulate child care and early childhood learning facilities, I will say that the CCOHS, which the minister referred to a number of times, has been developing information and guidance for those contexts.
To give you a little more about CCOHS, because it's one of our unknown gems nationally, it has a governance body comprised of employee representatives and employer representatives. Each jurisdiction is represented on the council or has an ability to be represented on the council, so when they do provide guidance, it is something that resonates with everyone, not just us at the federal level. The work they've been doing really has been well appreciated. I know that when I talk to my colleagues from the jurisdictions, they very much appreciate it.
On the last part, around PPE, it is a theme that we have heard in a number of different contexts. I would share with you that there was recognition early on that this was going to be a challenge nationally. Public Services and Procurement Canada has been facilitating bulk purchases of equipment that is available within the different jurisdictions and within the different sectors. As they obtain it, it is made available. I would share that with you, because it is another initiative the federal government has undertaken.
My understanding is that, year-to-date, and that goes up to the end of September as that's when we most recently tracked, the number of bankruptcies that we've had is 186 versus 223 in the same period last year. That represents 83%, so that's fewer bankruptcies than normal. However, during that same period, the number of individuals associated with those bankruptcies went from 7,900 last year to over 9,000 this year, so the number of individuals who have benefited from the WEPP has gone up by 15%.
What I want to say is that last year, which we're comparing it to, was an unusual year. We had very high volumes last year, so the volume to date is about 1.5 times our normal annual volume.
Yes, I will. I just had technical difficulties on that last little piece, but I was able to read your lips and I think I got my answer. I don't know about anyone else who might not be watching on Zoom, CPAC or another platform.
About Service Canada and its closures, I think many MPs across Canada had to pick up where Service Canada left off when they shut down. Can you give us a number, if you're aware, for how many Service Canada offices are still closed?
:
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
I also would like to thank all the witnesses for joining us tonight.
I listened, and I heard you say that the safety and well-being of our employees are very important. That's true. In my riding, I reached out to employers and workers on the front line during this COVID pandemic. I have heard that they are being very innovative, following the rules, protecting their employees, social distancing, allowing employees to work from home and supporting their work at home, which is great, but it's still very challenging.
With regard to the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety, can you tell us the steps you've taken that speak directly to the concerns of Canadian workers and employers, especially during COVID? Nobody was really prepared for it, so everything had to be learned and executed in a rather quick fashion. Could you tell us some of the steps you've taken?
:
I can. What I should do is be clear. While I am currently the acting deputy minister of the labour program, in addition to that and separate from that, I also happen to be the chair of the council for CCOHS. It's from that perspective that I'll respond.
What I would say is that they have undertaken a significant amount of work to ensure that people were well positioned to respond, again, in all sectors and across all jurisdictions within Canada. They've issued a large number of tipsheets. They have a significant amount of training material that they've released for free, which is normally for a charge. I can tell you it's running into the hundreds of thousands of dollars, but there's not a person on council who has a concern with that. It's understood what a benefit it is to workers across the country.
They've advised a number of folks, including the court systems across Canada, on their reopening so that they could do those successfully. I think we will have all noted that this happened without too many hiccups, which was quite great. They've also established MOUs with a number of organizations, such as PHAC, so that they can operationalize information that's of a public health nature in an employment context.
:
I appreciate the time and I'm sorry for the technical challenge.
I happen to be the chair of CCOHS so I have some visibility into its operations from that perspective. It has done an extraordinary amount of work to issue tipsheets that are helpful to all jurisdictions and sectors, not just those that are federally regulated.
It has released for free a large segment of its training material. It's to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars, the value of that, to ensure that people have access to timely information that will help keep them safe. It has established MOUs with a number of key organizations, or large organizations, that have the ability to influence COVID prevention measures, such as PHAC. It has done quite a bit.
The one example I intended to give earlier was that it provided advice to the court systems across Canada when they were doing their business resumption, so that it could be done safely. Under the leadership of a number of justices, it went extremely well. It's a very complex environment when you think about all of the moving parts. The CCOHS has been quite active, and it's something we're really quite proud of.
I'm going to ask a broader question about work. We know that the departments have been separated within the federal government. There is the Department of Employment and Social Development, and the Department of Labour is separate.
We are concerned about broader labour issues. I want to see how you are dealing with this issue.
I'm thinking of sectors such as aeronautics or aerospace. This is a major challenge if we don't want to lose expertise and workers in the field. We know how many jobs have been lost. How do you work collaboratively to implement broader work strategies?
I have another question about the minister's mandate letter. How are you working with other jurisdictions to think about transitioning workers to a greener economy? Solutions involve, not exclude, the workers. You can't think about making transitions without thinking about the workers.
How are you addressing those issues at the Department of Labour?
:
Thank you for your question.
We have worked very hard with industry and the aerospace sector. Despite the fact that our proactive activities have declined overall, our proactive activities in this sector have increased by almost 80% over the previous year. We are aware of the challenges in the area. We have decided to work harder to support this sector.
With respect to transition, we have put in place a number of initiatives to minimize the likelihood of individuals being laid off. One of the initiatives is to extend the period of time before a person can be laid off. This initiative has allowed people to remain in their positions for an additional nine months.
These two initiatives are part of our response.
Moving forward, we know that in many places, workers are becoming sick with COVID because they are not provided with proper protection or are not provided with budgets to properly support staff. I'll give you an example.
Currently in our shelters in Winnipeg, shelters that are all housed within my riding, we have a COVID outbreak. Workers are working around the clock. These shelters and front-line organizations, are doing everything in their power to keep people safe, including having to shut down our only detox now because too many staff have gotten sick.
Is your department willing to work very closely with provinces to develop national standards for work health and safety, particularly in light of COVID and particularly with an understanding that this is probably the first of many pandemics to come?
Workers deserve to be safe. This is currently not happening. Could I have a response to that? Thank you.
:
Thank you very much, Mr. Vaughan.
Thank you, Mr. Perlman.
That concludes the time that we have for questions.
I want to thank all of the officials for being with us, at least here on the east coast, well into the evening. Thank you for the work you do serving Canadians and parliamentarians. You have been extremely helpful. I wish you all a good evening.
To my colleagues and to all of the support people who make it happen, thanks a lot, everyone. Have a good evening, everyone. Thank you.
If there is nothing else, we are okay to adjourn.
By consensus, we are adjourned.