Question Period Note: Tabling of Employment and Social Development Canada’s Supplementary Estimates (B) for Fiscal Year Ending March 31, 2025

Why is Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) requesting $0.6 million to
strengthen retirement savings for personal support workers in the Supplementary Estimates
(B) for fiscal year ending March 31, 2025?

The funding will enable ESDC to launch the Personal Support Workers Retirement
Savings Innovation Program, which was announced in Budget 2023. The funding will
cover the operating costs of the department to launch this new contribution program.
• The program will support pilot projects that provide retirement savings incentives to
personal support workers who do not have workplace retirement security coverage.
Up to $42.2 million in funding could be redistributed to personal support workers.
• The program will allow the federal government to test different parameters to
incentivize saving for retirement and determine which approach works best. The
incentives are expected to help participating personal support workers improve their
financial security and could help with their retention in the long-term care sector.

The funding will enable ESDC to launch the Personal Support Workers Retirement
Savings Innovation Program, which was announced in Budget 2023. The funding will
cover the operating costs of the department to launch this new contribution program.
• The program will support pilot projects that provide retirement savings incentives to
personal support workers who do not have workplace retirement security coverage.
Up to $42.2 million in funding could be redistributed to personal support workers.
• The program will allow the federal government to test different parameters to
incentivize saving for retirement and determine which approach works best. The
incentives are expected to help participating personal support workers improve their
financial security and could help with their retention in the long-term care sector.

Table: Funding for Personal Support Workers
Funding (in $) and Full Time Equivalent (FTE)

FTE
Existing Funding (Main Estimates 2024-25): 2
Supplementary Estimates (B): 6
Total Funding: 8

Salary
Existing Funding (Main Estimates 2024-25): 1,105,588
Supplementary Estimates (B): 466,801
Total Funding: 656,801
Operating and maintenance
Existing Funding (Main Estimates 2024-25): 444,700
Supplementary Estimates (B): 159,491
Total Funding: 604,191
Total Operating (Vote 1)
Existing Funding (Main Estimates 2024-25): 634,700
Supplementary Estimates (B): 626,292
Total Funding: 1,260,992
Grants and Contributions (Vote 5)
Existing Funding (Main Estimates 2024-25): 0
Supplementary Estimates (B): 0
Total Funding: 0

Sub-Total
Existing Funding (Main Estimates 2024-25): 634,700
Supplementary Estimates (B): 626,292
Total Funding: 1,260,992
Employee benefit plans
Existing Funding (Main Estimates 2024-25): 51,300
Supplementary Estimates (B): 126,036
Total Funding: 177,336

Total Funding
Existing Funding (Main Estimates 2024-25): 686,000
Supplementary Estimates (B): 752,328
Total Funding: 1,438,328