44th Parl. 1st Sess.
May 2, 2022 11:00AM
- May/2/22 2:30:11 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Canadians expect and deserve an EI system that is responsive to their needs. EI sickness benefits are an important support for Canadians who need to leave work because of illness or injury.
Workers receiving important treatments, or requiring a longer period to recover from an illness or injury, face a stressful income gap between the time they exhaust their benefits and when they are healthy enough to return to work. That is why we extended EI sickness benefits from 15 to 26 weeks, providing approximately 169,000 Canadians every year with additional time and flexibility to recover and return to work.
There is more to do, to be sure, and we will keep working so that EI is there for Canadians when they need it most.
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- May/2/22 2:31:33 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as my hon. colleague knows, we have brought forward legislation that has passed through this place with regard to 10 paid sick days. We have also worked hard to modernize the EI program so that it responds to the needs of all Canadians and is fair and equal. That includes giving parents the choice of taking either 12 or 18 months for parental leave and introducing the new parental sharing benefit so they can share the joy and work of raising their children more equally.
We are following through on our promise to modernize the system with targeted consultations with Canadians. That will bring forward a vision for a new and modern EI system. We know there is more work to do and we are getting to it.
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- May/2/22 2:58:43 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we know that the temporary foreign worker program is vital to the Canadian economy.
Employers should be able to get decisions regarding workers' contracts. That is why we are taking additional measures to address the labour shortage.
We are moving the cap on low-wage positions for employers in seasonal industries. We are extending LMIA validity from nine to 18 months, and we are expanding flexibility for LMIA applications in low-wage occupations. We are also increasing the maximum employment duration for high-wage and global talent streams from two to three years. We will continue collaborating with employers to ensure—
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- May/2/22 3:00:08 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his question. As I told the House, we are seeing an incredible increase in demand for passports.
That being said, Service Canada is working very hard to ensure that Canadians get their passports before their travel date. Just this past weekend, we opened 12 Passport Canada and Service Canada centres on Saturday to help process passport applications.
Our employees are working at night and on the weekends to make sure that Canadians get their passports on time.
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- May/2/22 3:01:25 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I have good news. Passport Canada and Service Canada will be opening nearly all of their service centres this week.
We have spoken with unions and the employees, who are already working long hours, even at home, for the specific purpose of serving Canadians. We know that it is important because there are many people who want to travel right now. Services will be available in offices across the country.
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- May/2/22 3:02:42 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as I have said numerous times in the House, we are experiencing an incredible increase in demand. For the past two years, many Canadians followed the advice of government and did not travel. Now they are looking forward to travelling again, and therefore there is a big increase in demand.
That being said, Service Canada and Passport Canada are doing everything they can to meet this unprecedented surge in demand. Just this past weekend, we opened 12 centres on Saturday to assist. Passport officers are working day, night and on the weekends to meet the demand. We will continue to provide the best service possible that we can to Canadians, understanding the—
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