Digest of Benefit Entitlement Principles  Chapter 19 - Section 1

19.1.0 A key factor in claimant reemployment

The purpose of Part II of the Employment Insurance Act (EIA) is to help maintain a sustainable EI system through the establishment of employment support measures and the maintenance of a national employment service (EIA 56).

There are seven basic guidelines in the establishment of employment benefits and support measures under Part II of the Employment Insurance Act:

1. harmony with provincial employment initiatives;
2. reduction of dependency on unemployment benefits by helping individuals obtain or keep employment;
3. co-operation and partnership with other governments, employers, community-based organizations and other interested organizations;
4. local level flexibility;
5. availability of assistance in either official language, where there is significant demand for that assistance in that language;
6. client commitment; and
7. implementation within a framework for evaluating success (EIA 57).

Under EI Part II, the Commission may establish employment support measures to help insured participants and other workers, including workers in groups underrepresented in the labour market, to obtain or keep employment, including measures to:

1. provide insured participants with courses or programs of instruction or training;
2. provide insured participants with employment opportunities or provide employment support;
3. provide workers with employment assistance services; and
4. support research, innovation or partnerships related to helping workers to prepare for, obtain or keep employment and to be productive participants in the labour market (EIA 59).

Under EI Part II, the Commission, with the approval of the Minister, also has the authority to enter into agreements with other orders of government or with any public or private organization for the implementation of programs which are consistent with the Purpose and Guidelines of EI Part II (EIA 63). In practical terms, the federal government works in concert with the provinces and territories as well as indigenous organizations to design the employment support measures, and to implement and evaluate them and invites the provinces and territories to enter into agreements to carry out these activities.

A claimant referred pursuant to an authority delegated by the Commission is considered unemployed and capable of and available for work during a period when they are attending a course or program of instruction or participating in any other referred employment activity (EIA 25; Digest 19.1.1; EIR 50).

19.1.1 Designation of persons authorized to refer claimants

The Commission has delegated various Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) employees the authority to refer claimants to attend courses or programs of instruction or to participate in any other employment activity designed to facilitate the re-entry of a claimant into the employed labour force (EIA 25[1]).

Furthermore, the Commission has entered into agreements under EI Part II with a number of provinces, territories, and aboriginal organizations that provide measures consistent with the purpose and guidelines under the Act.

The Commission has delegated to those provinces, territories, and organizations, its power to designate authorities (referred to as authorized officials) who may refer active EI claimants to:

1. attend courses or programs of instruction or training at the claimant's own expense, either under employment support measures or under a measure that is the subject of an agreement, or
2. participate in any other employment activity for which assistance has been provided for the claimant under benefits that are either the prescribed employment support measures or that are subject of an agreement (EIA 25)

In practice, this allows for authorized officials to refer active EI claimants to:

1. courses or programs of instruction or training that are funded under EI Part II
2. courses or programs of instruction or training that are not funded under EI Part II
3. employment activities under EI Part II that do not create an ongoing employer-employee relationship (EIR 50)

This facilitates the coordination of the provision of assistance to active claimants by those provinces, territories, and organizations with the payment by ESDC of EI benefits to those claimants.

[ February 2026 ]