As a result of their deliberations committees may make recommendations which they include in their reports for the consideration of the House of Commons or the Government. Recommendations related to this study are listed below.

Recommendation 1

That the Government of Canada direct Employment and Social Development Canada to collaborate with the Department of Finance Canada to assess the costs and benefits of returning to a tripartite (employer, employee and government) financing arrangement for the Employment Insurance program.

Recommendation 2

That Employment and Social Development Canada review the Employment Insurance program requirements related to valid job separation in order to:

• Assess the impact that the list of valid reasons for separation has on the most vulnerable workers, and the extent to which it reflects current labour market realities; and
• Ensure that Employment Insurance program requirements related to valid job separation do not deter claimants from accepting new employment.

Recommendation 3

That Employment and Social Development Canada decrease the number of hours of insurable employment needed to qualify for all types of Employment Insurance benefits in order to ensure equitable access for diverse workers across Canada, including those in part-time or non-standard work.

Recommendation 4

That Employment and Social Development Canada reconsider, and ensure robust consultation with stakeholders on, current practices with regard to Employment Insurance Economic Regions, including:

• The number and boundaries of regions; and
• The existence of varying Employment Insurance eligibility requirements based on claimants’ region of residence.

Further, that it reinstate a single Employment Insurance Economic Region for Prince Edward Island within 12 months.

Recommendation 5

That Employment and Social Development Canada conduct consultations with relevant stakeholders on ways to provide self-employed persons, including those in the gig economy, with access to regular Employment Insurance benefits; and that, based on the results of these consultations, Employment and Social Development Canada make permanent changes to the Employment Insurance program to address the unique needs of self-employed persons.

Recommendation 6

That Employment and Social Development Canada take further steps to solve the problem of the Employment Insurance “black hole” (a situation in which a seasonal worker has insufficient weeks of Employment Insurance benefits to bridge the period of unemployment between seasons), including by expanding the coverage of Pilot Project No. 21 (which provides up to five additional weeks of Employment Insurance regular benefits to eligible seasonal workers in select regions), as well as making it permanent.

Recommendation 7

That Employment and Social Development Canada assess the impact of Employment Insurance eligibility rules on migrant workers who have been paying into the EI system.

Recommendation 8

That Employment and Social Development Canada consider increasing the income replacement rate, maximum insurable earnings, and minimum weekly benefit, as well as decreasing benefit clawbacks, to ensure that Employment Insurance regular and special benefits are sufficient and liveable.

Recommendation 9

That Employment and Social Development Canada increase the duration of combined regular and special benefits in order to avoid penalizing claimants – largely women – who may claim both regular and special Employment Insurance benefits such as maternity or parental benefits during the same benefit period.

Recommendation 10

That Employment and Social Development Canada review the fiscal and social impact of the temporary measure waiving the one-week waiting period for Employment Insurance benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic, and consider permanently removing the one‑week waiting period for all claimants.

Recommendation 11

That Employment and Social Development Canada explore ways to make Employment Insurance parental benefits and the Working While on Claim provisions of the program more flexible, with a view to increasing a claimant’s agency over their benefits and facilitating their continued participation in the labour market while caring for young children.

Recommendation 12

That Employment and Social Development Canada explore the option of creating “attachment benefits” modeled after Employment Insurance maternity benefits, to ensure equitable treatment of adoptive, kinship, customary and biological parents in the amount of time and benefits provided to bond with their children.

Recommendation 13

That Employment and Social Development Canada, in consultation with employee and employer groups, consider expanding the maximum duration of Employment Insurance sickness benefits to 50 weeks in order to ensure that workers have sufficient time to fully recover before returning to work.

Recommendation 14

That, in addition to considering ways to provide self-employed persons with access to Employment Insurance regular benefits as outlined in recommendation 5, Employment and Social Development Canada review the access to Employment Insurance special benefits by self-employed persons with a view to removing barriers to increased participation.

Recommendation 15

That Employment and Social Development Canada conduct consultations with employee and employer groups to determine whether special benefits should be part of the Employment Insurance program or be administered separately, and that this be done with a view to increasing access to benefits while facilitating program administration.

Recommendation 16

That Employment and Social Development Canada consider expanding Employment Insurance coverage to more workers pursuing training, as well as enhancing the proposed Employment Insurance Training Support Benefit (for example, by increasing the income replacement rate and/or the duration of the benefit).

Recommendation 17

That Employment and Social Development Canada keep the committee apprised of the Benefits Delivery Modernization initiative’s progress.

Recommendation 18

That Employment and Social Development Canada appoint, without delay, a Commissioner for Employers to the Canadian Employment Insurance Commission.

Recommendation 19

That Employment and Social Development Canada improve the quality and accessibility of client-facing services provided by Service Canada to Employment Insurance claimants and recipients, including through:

• A review of current communications materials and client service practices to ensure that low-income individuals, seniors, individuals with language barriers, and other vulnerable groups do not face undue barriers to accessing Employment Insurance benefits; and
• Improved training to ensure that Service Canada officers are prepared to respond to detailed queries from claimants about rules and requirements related to Employment Insurance.

Recommendation 20

That Employment and Social Development Canada reinstate the system of Employment Insurance liaison officers in order to better support Employment Insurance claimants and the frontline organizations that assist them.