Hon. Pat Duncan moved third reading of Bill S-236, An Act to amend the Employment Insurance Act and the Employment Insurance Regulations (Prince Edward Island), as amended.

She said: Honourable senators, I rise today on the traditional territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabe Nation to speak to third reading of Bill S-236, An Act to amend the Employment Insurance Act and the Employment Insurance Regulations (Prince Edward Island).

This bill was introduced by our former colleague Senator Diane Griffin of Prince Edward Island. I offered to continue the sponsorship of this bill in the Senate upon her retirement. I want to thank Senator Griffin for allowing me this tremendous responsibility, and I want to thank Senator Poirier for her work as the bill’s critic. I also want to extend special thanks to members of the Standing Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry and its chair, Senator Black, for their timely and able study of this bill, which resulted in an amendment.

As we heard during the debate at second reading, Prince Edward Island has two different Employment Insurance, or EI, zones. This results in a very skewed and unfair arrangement for those who live on the Island.

During the current period — from September 25 to October 8 — the unemployment rate is 4.4% in the Charlottetown zone, which includes the towns of Cornwall and Stratford. The unemployment rate is more than double that — 9.1% — for the rest of the province outside the Charlottetown zone.

Honourable senators, the system of two EI zones leads to the following differences in the number of hours worked to qualify for benefits, as well as for the length of time one can receive benefits: In Charlottetown, a person has to work 700 hours to receive up to 36 weeks of benefits. Outside of Charlottetown, a person needs to work for 560 hours to receive a maximum of 44 weeks of benefits. Let me remind you that this is based on the applicant’s residence — not their place of work.

Two colleagues at a seasonal workplace will receive very different benefits based on where they live. Practically, those who reside in the Charlottetown area often work outside of the zone where they live. The reverse is also true: Individuals might work in one economic zone and live in another.

Also, because the Charlottetown zone is demarcated the way it is, someone within that zone may have a longer drive — maybe three times the distance — to a workplace in the downtown area than someone who lives in the P.E.I. zone.

This is the situation that prompted me to take on this bill. It is a completely unfair situation that exists in the receipt of EI benefits on Prince Edward Island.

Honourable senators, such divisions exist in other places in Canada, including in the Yukon. What stands out is how small P.E.I. is in land mass by comparison. Its small size is what makes the current arrangement of a rural regional zone completely unfair.

For example, in the Yukon, the capital — Whitehorse — is one region, and the rest of the territory is another. That makes sense. The bulk of the population lives in Whitehorse. Whitehorse is the seat of territorial, First Nations and municipal governments. The Yukon Legislative Assembly, the Kwanlin Dün First Nation and the Ta’an Kwäch’än Council all have offices in Whitehorse.

In addition to the seats of these governments, Whitehorse also has a busy international airport, the Yukon’s largest hospital and a retail catchment area that includes the whole of the Yukon, southeast Alaska and the northernmost home communities of Inuvik and Tuktoyaktuk in the Northwest Territories.

This separation of economic regions in the Yukon is understandable. Employment opportunities in Whitehorse are far different from those in Carcross or Teslin — 170 kilometres away in the case of Teslin, and more than 150 kilometres away in Haines Junction. There are very few areas of P.E.I. that are 100 kilometres away from Charlottetown.

Honourable senators, former member of Parliament Wayne Easter, now a farmer, was a witness at the Agriculture and Forestry Committee. He described the Charlottetown zone with his deeply rooted local knowledge. For most who do not know the province well, it might not make as much sense to read his description based on local street names and areas. However, if honourable senators take a look at the map, Mr. Easter’s conclusion is very telling. He said:

. . . the Charlottetown zone isn’t really the Charlottetown zone at all. . . .

Look at the map, understand it and you will have to ask yourself: Who the heck dreamt up this line and this zone, and why?

Wayne Easter described some of the issues he had dealt with as the member of Parliament for Malpeque. His former riding has some parts in either zone. He said:

. . . this is a small province, and seasonal tourism is the second-biggest industry.

I received the most complaints from the Riverdale Road area. It is the break line between zones 1 and 2, starting in the southern part of the riding. Neighbours on opposite sides of the road both work at New Glasgow Lobster Suppers, but at the end of the season, the worker in zone 2 qualified for EI. The neighbour across the road in zone 1 did not. Some managed to get other employment and gain their EI.

Others who lived in the city and drove to work at the tourist businesses were met with the same fate. The situation not only hurt workers, it also affected the ability of tourist operators to attract needed workers. The bottom line is that it’s unfair and inequitable, and it makes no sense.

Interestingly, Pierre Laliberté, Commissioner for Workers for the Canada Employment Insurance Commission, emphasized that the 2014 decision to create two Employment Insurance zones was not based on their review. It was a decision made by the sitting government at the time. As he told the Agriculture and Forestry Committee:

Had we proceeded according to the usual process . . . it is likely that this would not have been done.

Honourable senators, the Agriculture and Forestry Committee also heard from representatives from labour and chambers of commerce. They supported this bill to rectify the unfairness and divisions this causes in the relatively small community of P.E.I. The current system also creates labour shortages. Several witnesses mentioned that employers ask applicants in a job interview where they live. This affects their hiring decisions. Anecdotally, it leaves the question of the benefit of being honest about where one resides.

Honourable senators, it is clear that the two Employment Insurance zones in P.E.I. create real and deep divisions among neighbours and communities. It pits neighbour against neighbour and community against community. This is not a time when we need division in any part of our great country.

As honourable senators know, the bill returned from committee with one amendment and I would like to briefly explain what that amendment does. Senator Black, the committee chair, asked the government official if there were any challenges to implementing the measures in the bill if it were to receive Royal Assent. During clause-by-clause consideration, Senator Colin Deacon noted the lack of a clear answer from the official. He had thought of what could prevent or discourage the government from implementing this measure, especially because the government had been reluctant to do anything about this matter until now.

He, therefore, as elegantly and eloquently as always, moved an amendment delaying the coming into force provision of the bill. Rather than coming into force on the day it receives Royal Assent, it provides some time for the public service to make any necessary adjustments to their systems. The law will now, if made an act of Parliament, come into force on the first Sunday that is at least 30 days after the day on which it receives Royal Assent. I want to thank Senator Colin Deacon for this very thoughtful amendment, which I wholeheartedly support.

Honourable senators, in my second reading speech, I referenced committees from both houses of Parliament that have recommended P.E.I. return to one Employment Insurance zone. Most witnesses appearing before the Agriculture and Forestry Committee were in strong support of this bill. Two were not, although they were not opposed to it. I believe it is time for the Senate to do its job and adopt this bill so we can send it to the House of Commons for them to debate.

Honourable senators, let me conclude with the words of our former P.E.I. Senate colleague Diane Griffin, who introduced this bill here. She has always been a stalwart for her province. During her committee testimony, she said:

While it is the smallest province, Prince Edward Island is still an equal partner in Confederation. This issue needs Senate action, with the goal of sending the bill to the House of Commons. It’s a way for the Senate to serve one of its constitutional roles of giving a voice to regional interests, especially for regions with smaller populations.

Honourable senators, I echo her words and urge you to support this bill at third reading. Mähsi’cho, Gùnáłchîsh, thank you.