Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities

Comité permanent des ressources humaines, du développement des compétences, du développement social et de la condition des personnes handicapées

For immediate release

Ottawa, June 21, 2021 -

The Employment Insurance (EI) program is a federal insurance-based program that provides temporary income support in the event of a job loss (regular benefits) or other life event (special benefits), as well as employment programs and services. The COVID-19 pandemic saw a significant increase in Canadians requiring rapid financial support. This shone a light on long-standing issues with the EI program, reinforcing the importance of having an accessible, adequate, and agile income replacement system that is built for the 21st century labour market.

On June 17, 2021, Sean Casey, Chair of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities, presented the committee’s sixth report in the House of Commons.

Entitled Modernizing the Employment Insurance Program, the report was inspired by a motion sponsored by Louise Chabot (Member of Parliament for Thérèse-De Blainville) and adopted by the committee on October 28, 2020. The motion required that the committee “undertake a study on the review of the Employment Insurance program.”

The committee’s report summarizes oral and written testimony provided by a variety of witnesses, including representatives from federal departments, labour organizations, advocacy groups and business. It also provides an overview of the EI program, including temporary measures related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and presents a cost breakdown for several reforms to the EI program recommended by witnesses.

In the report, the committee makes 20 recommendations related to the financing of the EI program, regular benefits, special benefits, training and labour market programming, technological infrastructure, and program administration, with a view to making the EI program nimbler and better able to meet the needs of workers and employers.

The committee is composed of 12 Members of Parliament. It is chaired by Sean Casey (Charlottetown) and its vice-chairs are Louise Chabot (Thérèse-De Blainville) and Raquel Dancho (Kildonan—St. Paul). The other committee members are: Han Dong (Don Valley North); Rosemarie Falk (Battlefords—Lloydminster); Leah Gazan (Winnipeg Centre); Wayne Long (Saint John—Rothesay); Corey Tochor (Saskatoon—University); Ryan Turnbull (Whitby); Adam Vaughan (Spadina—Fort York); Brad Vis (Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon); and Kate Young (London West).