Question Period Notes
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• 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?
Facilitation measures for temporary workers during the pandemic.
On October 6, 2021, the Government of Canada announced plans to require vaccination across the federal public service. The announcement also noted that “contracted personnel who require access to federal government worksites will also need to be vaccinated”.
Notes:
- All questions related to the government-wide policy of mandatory vaccinations should be directed to the President of the Treasury Board
In support of local communities in the National Capital Region, and in alignment with federal legislation, the National Capital Commission’s (NCC) pays its fair share of Payments In Lieu of Taxes (PILT) to various municipalities where it owns real property on behalf of the Crown.
The Province of Ontario has implemented a legislative amendment for 2021 regarding Business Education Tax (BET) rates that creates an inequity in treatment between taxable business properties and payment-in-lieu-of-taxes (PILT) properties.
The LGBTQ2 National Monument will memorialize the historic discrimination against LGBTQ2 Canadians, including during the LGBT Purge. The approved site for this monument is located at the north-east side of the intersection of Wellington Street and Portage Bridge, in proximity to Library and Archives Canada and the Ottawa River.