Government of Canada enhances social benefit services to Canadians

March 2, 2017              Bathurst, New Brunswick             Employment and Social Development Canada

To improve services to Canadians, the Government of Canada is hiring 58 additional employees to support Service Canada operations in Bathurst. These new jobs will represent an injection of approximately $3 million into the economy of the region. This investment will further improve Canadians’ access to the information and support they need to receive Employment Insurance (EI) and other social benefits and services as quickly as possible.

The announcement was made today by Serge Cormier, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship and Member of Parliament for Acadie–Bathurst, on behalf of the Honourable Jean‑Yves Duclos, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development.

Through Budget 2016, the Government announced immediate action to improve EI so that more Canadians get the help they need when they need it. A number of improvements already came into effect:

• elimination of EI eligibility requirements that restrict access for workers who were entering or re-entering the labour market;
• simplification of job search responsibilities for EI claimants through the reversal of the 2012 changes that specified the type of jobs that unemployed workers were expected to search for and accept;
• a new more flexible EI Working While on Claim pilot project from August 2016 until August 2018. This pilot will help EI claimants stay connected to the labour market and offers a choice of two options to better support their job prospects;
• extending the Work-Sharing agreements from a maximum of 38 weeks to 76 weeks across Canada;
• reducing the EI waiting period from two weeks to one week, effective January 1, 2017; and
• reducing EI premiums to $1.63 in 2017—a reduction of nearly $2.4 billion in total EI premiums paid by employees and employers.

The Government of Canada also held consultations with stakeholders on maternity, parental and caregiving benefits to seek their views on what is important to them and better understand the situations that could benefit from additional support in the form of benefits and leaves.