Question Period Notes
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Are employees who do not comply with their employer’s mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policies eligible for EI regular benefits if they are suspended or dismissed from their employment as a result?
• From the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government of Canada has put Canadians first, providing them with the support they need to stay safe and healthy.
• As the economy continues to re-open, we recognize that some Canadian workers are still facing labour market challenges linked to the pandemic, and require ongoing income support.
• Through Budget 2021,
we announced a number of temporary EI measures that took effect on September 26, 2021 for a period of one year:
o Implementing a uniform 420 hours of insurable employment entrance requirement for EI regular and special benefits;
o Ensuring that all insurable hours of employment count towards a claimant’s eligibility, as long as their last job separation is found to be valid;
o Allowing claimants to start receiving EI benefits sooner by simplifying rules around the treatment of severance, vacation pay, and other monies paid on separation.
• In addition, seasonal workers in the 13 economic regions that were previously part of the EI Seasonal Worker Pilot Project will continue to benefit from an additional 5 weeks of EI regular benefits until October 2022.
• These temporary measures will maintain flexible and simplified access to EI as the economy recovers and will inform permanent changes to the program.
What were the changes to EI that came into effect on September 26th, 2021?
What is Benefits Delivery Modernization (BDM)?
The Department’s response to protect Canadians' personal information in the face of identity theft and data breaches involving the Social Insurance Number (SIN).
How is the Government of Canada going to enhance and secure digital identity and identity management practices to modernize service delivery and improve client experience?
How is Service Canada leveraging investments to improve access and reduce wait times in its EI call centre operations for Canadians?
The Auditor General has stated that the Government should have ways to identify fraud and recoup money for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) and employment-insurance (EI) benefits during the pandemic.
In August 2021, an agreement was signed between the Ministers of Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and the Ministers of Immigration, Francisation et Intégration (MIFI) and Travail, Emploi et Solidarité Sociale (MTESS) (Quebec) to allow for additional flexibilities in Quebec under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program
How has the Government managed the processing of Employment Insurance applications and call volumes in the era of COVID-19?