FEWO Committee Report

Recommendation 1:

The Committee recommends that the federal government reinstate the federal minimum wage and that it be set initially at $10 an hour.

Recommendation 2:

The Committee recommends that the federal government play a leadership role in improving labour legislation to extend a greater protection to the growing segment of non-standard workers, and that it ensure that the working conditions of non-standard workers are placed on the agenda of future meetings of federal/provincial/territorial Ministers of Labour.

Recommendation 3:

The Committee recommends that Industry Canada, in cooperation with other relevant departments, take measures to ensure the availability of microcredit opportunities to women in rural and remote regions, including Métis, First Nations, and Inuit women.

Recommendation 4:

The Committee recommends that Industry Canada establish a Centre of Excellence for Women Entrepreneurs to support women entrepreneurs, notably by providing additional financial and entrepreneurial education programs.

Recommendation 5:

The Committee recommends that the Department of Human Resources and Social Development expand the maternity and parental benefits program to cover two years, and increase the benefit rate to 60%, in order to help parents balance their paid and caring work.

Recommendation 6:

The Committee recommends that Citizenship and Immigration Canada, in consultation with provincial and territorial governments, expand eligibility to the Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) program to Canadian citizens who have immigrated to Canada, and to successful refugee claimants. The Committee also recommends that more support for child-minding services be made available to participants in the LINC program.

Recommendation 7:

The Committee recommends that the federal government explore and implement options that have been identified in past studies which would allow new immigrants to access financing to upgrade their skills, including in situations where their credentials are not recognized. This should be done in collaboration with provinces and territories where specific agreements exist, as well as other stakeholders.

Recommendation 8:

The Committee recommends that the Live-in Caregiver Program be reformed to ensure that the human rights of immigrant women workers are better protected and that the live-in requirements of the program become optional.

Recommendation 9:

The Committee recommends that additional funds be allocated to the Opportunities Fund for Persons with Disabilities.

Recommendation 10:

The Committee recommends that the federal government, in collaboration with the provincial and territorial governments, develop a national housing strategy and ensure that there is adequate, affordable, appropriate and accessible housing for women.

Recommendation 11:

The Committee recommends that the federal government support the efforts of the provinces and territories to implement or maintain a universal and high quality system of early learning and child care that is that is developmental, affordable and accessible.

Recommendation 12:

The Committee recommends that the Department of Human Resources and Social Development Canada improve the Compassionate Care Benefits under the Employment Insurance program, by increasing the maximum number of weeks and by amending the eligibility criteria to make the benefit more widely available to persons caring for sick or elderly relatives or friends.

Recommendation 13:

The Committee recommends that the federal government change the eligibility criteria under the Employment Insurance Act to increase access to benefits to persons in part-time or part-year work.

Recommendation 14:

The Committee recommends that the federal government extend eligibility for maternity and parental benefits by changing qualifying requirements to allow parents to reach back over the three-to five-year period prior to the birth of the child.

Recommendation 15:

The Committee recommends that the federal government amend the Employment Insurance Act to allow self-employed persons to opt into the special benefits programs under the Employment Insurance (EI) program, such as maternity and parental benefits and the Compassionate Care Benefit.

Recommendation 16:

The Committee recommends that the federal government increase the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) so that total Old Age Security and Guaranteed Income Supplement provides an after tax income above the poverty line.

Recommendation 17:

The Committee recommends that the federal government develop a drop-out provision in the Canada Pension Plan, similar to the existing drop-out provision for childcare, for people who are caring for individuals with disabilities or the elderly.

Recommendation 18:

That the federal government develop options, in consultation with Canadians, on how the Canada Pension Plan could be amended to allow individuals to choose to increase their contributions to the maximum CPP amounts, or to participate in the CPP if they are currently outside the labour market.

Recommendation 19:

The Committee recommends that the CPP survivor benefits for seniors aged 65 or more be increased from up to 60% of the contributor’s retirement pension to 70%.

Recommendation 20:

The Committee recommends that the federal government increase the number of countries with which it has social security agreements in order to provide pension coverage to a larger proportion of new immigrant Canadians.

Recommendation 21:

The Committee recommends that, in collaboration with the provinces and territories, the federal government develop a national poverty reduction strategy that incorporates gender based awareness with concrete targets and goals to address poverty and Aboriginal poverty in Canada.