Department of Employment and Social Development Act—Employment Insurance Act

Honourable senators, today I rise for my first time in this chamber.

I rise today to speak on Bill S-244, An Act to amend the Department of Employment and Social Development Act and the Employment Insurance Act (Employment Insurance Council).

Before I begin, I would like to recognize that we are here today on the traditional territory of the Anishinaabe Algonquin people and that I come from the traditional territory of the Wolastoqey people. The river that runs through the city of Fredericton is known as Wolastoq, along which lived the Wolastoqiyik, the “people of the beautiful and bountiful river.”

I would like to recognize Senator Bellemare for her advocacy in the history of this bill, which began long before it was introduced in this chamber nearly two years ago. Bill S-244 would establish an employment insurance council to provide advice and make recommendations to the Canada Employment Insurance Commission. For those unfamiliar with it, the commission monitors and assesses the Employment Insurance, or EI, programs; reviews and approves policies; sets the annual EI premium rate; and even provides advice on certain appeals or judicial reviews before they proceed to the courts.

Though the EI commissioners themselves engage with different groups, employers and workers do not have a direct seat at the table. All too often, changes are made by the government with either little or no warning, leaving those they impact scrambling to adapt. The people who pay for the EI program are the workers and employers. This bill brings the program back to its roots, serving those who participate in it by giving them a voice through an employment insurance council.

As a former chief executive officer, or CEO, of a chamber of commerce who worked closely with local businesses, and a former small business owner myself, I see the immense impact this bill would have.

Honourable senators, let me take you back to when I first took my seat among you. This past November and December, the Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology was studying Bill S-244. One of the witnesses was Nancy Healey, the Commissioner for Employers. Nancy and I both began our careers together as chamber of commerce leaders on the East Coast — I in New Brunswick and she in Newfoundland and Labrador. If you are doing the math, yes, we’re going back to the late 1980s and early 1990s.

I think Nancy was hoping to be here today, but I’m standing up a little sooner than I thought I would. Nancy is someone whose perspective on employment I have always respected and valued. Therefore, more than 30 years after we first began working on policy issues together, when she raised Bill S-244 with me, I was interested in learning more about her perspective.

Just an eight-day-old senator, I attended the Social Affairs Committee meeting when Nancy testified, and in her opening statement she said:

I support Bill S-244. I see it as an opportunity to amplify the voice of business, particularly small businesses, and to encourage meaningful engagement within the commission. Bill S-244 would provide a forum for both employer groups and labour groups to discuss issues of mutual concern around employment, workforce development, jobs and skills.

At that same committee meeting, Mr. Pierre Laliberté, the Commissioner for Workers, said:

I also completely agree that the bill should be supported by the Senate and eventually by the House of Commons. . . .

Senators, it is no small thing that both EI commissioners support this bill. However, it is not only the commissioners. Even more recently, I joined colleagues at a jobs and skills round table hosted by Senator Bellemare. It brought together the EI commissioners, employer organizations, unions and parliamentarians to re-establish the social dialogue on workforce and skills development.

Throughout the morning and various discussions, I noticed one thing: There was unanimous support for Bill S-244 among all the participants across quarters. As many of you know, to reach a consensus on a topic can be extremely difficult, which is why this stood out to me.

Throughout the day, I heard that the current structure of the Canada Employment Insurance Commission didn’t fully meet their needs. Funded entirely by employers and workers, the commission lacks meaningful, continued and consistent engagement from those groups, which is why participants at this round table were eager to create a social dialogue through the establishment of an employment insurance council so that engagement would go beyond just one-off consultations. Through Bill S-244, this council will provide that forum for primary stakeholders to exchange perspectives.

As we know, when we can approach issues with empathy for other positions, it can result in a greater understanding and a stronger consensus on the path forward. Those involved in business or labour relations understand that a negotiated contract is always stronger than a contract imposed upon the participating parties. That isn’t to say that it will all be easy or that an employment insurance council will solve everything. Collaboration and negotiation can be challenging. However, I strongly believe that bringing representation to the table will only strengthen Canada’s EI program, which is better for both employees and employers.

As I mentioned earlier, employers and workers across sectors want to see this bill passed. I could take up my entire time today quoting organization after organization, including the Canadian Labour Congress; Unifor; the Canadian Federation of Independent Business; the Canadian Chamber of Commerce; the Canadian Union of Public Employees, or CUPE; the Business Council of Canada; and so on. Representatives from every part of the labour market participated, and they gave input on drafting this bill to ensure it would meet the needs of employers and workers.

The Fredericton Chamber of Commerce, from my hometown, with whom I spent 12 years as CEO, wrote a letter of support for Bill S-244, saying that:

. . . it is clear that the existing and emerging complexities related to employment and the future nature of work require a thoughtful and collaborative approach to providing the protections that employees need while balancing the sustainability of the system for both employees and employers. . . .

Colleagues, I’m not looking to diminish the work that the Canada Employment Insurance Commission or the EI commissioners have done. Rather, I’m here to support a bill to strengthen that commission and ensure that it is responsive and sustainable for many years to come.

An employment insurance council would formalize the commission’s current consultative process in a more inclusive manner, and it would ensure greater continuity, regardless of who holds the commissioner positions. I support the creation of an employment insurance council to bring the voices of employers and workers to the table. It is important to remember that this would be an advisory council — not a decision-making committee.

We have heard concerns in this chamber about regional representation, and, as a senator for New Brunswick, this has also been at the top of my mind. The participants in this council will be national organizations that have an obligation to represent members across the country, and we need to ensure that we are getting the basics correct before adding layers and layers of complexities.

However, that is not to say there is no room for regional representation. This bill includes powers to invite those not part of the council to attend meetings, as well as establish working groups with non-members. If Atlantic Canada were not represented by the labour and employer organizations appointed to the council, there would be ample opportunity for them to participate.

Currently, provinces often determine the priorities of the labour market development agreements that they have with the federal government, with little or no consultation with stakeholders in their regions — this means that two levels of government who don’t pay into the Employment Insurance system determine training needs. This council can help address this and ensure that there is proper representation of those that it impacts the most.

As parliamentarians, we have a role to play in fostering trust with Canadians and ensuring that we are passing legislation that meets the needs of those it impacts. Not everyone is going to agree with every decision made by government at all levels, but we should try to remember that we’re in this together. It can be easy to let individual priorities or politics get in the way of progress, but the more that we can work together, help one another connect on opportunities, be inclusive and raise the level of public discourse, the better off we’ll all be in the long run.

Colleagues, I believe this bill will meet the needs of those who contribute and participate in the Employment Insurance program.

I would like to end by reiterating that collaboration between employer and employee groups can be somewhat challenging, but they have presented a united front to support Bill S-244 and the creation of an employment insurance council.

I urge you all to support the swift passage of this bill. Thank you. Wela’lin.