The federal government has put together a $6.5-billion aid package and is making temporary changes to the employment insurance program to support Canadian businesses and workers through the trade war with the U.S. The government is building new flexibility into the employment insurance program to help businesses retain workers by reducing work hours. Read: How […]
As I write this, I’ve been back at my desk for three weeks following my second maternity leave. This time around, I took nearly eight months, which gave me a lot of time to think about Canada’s archaic employment insurance system and its impact on new parents. For many working parents in Canada, eight months […]
The Nova Scotia government has tabled a bill that would significantly increase the amount of unpaid time off for employees who develop a serious illness or are severely hurt on the job. Labour Minister Jill Balser told reporters if the bill becomes law, workers will get up to 27 unpaid weeks off without fear they’ll […]
The Canada Revenue Agency’s guidance for determining a full-time remote worker’s province of employment for payroll deduction purposes, which came into force on Jan. 1, could prove burdensome to employers. “While the intention is to create certainty, whether it will do so remains to be seen,” says Sarah Mills, an employment lawyer at Blaney McMurtry […]
Since this month’s editorial is my farewell (for just five months) as I prepare for the birth of my second child at the end of 2023, sitting down to write it prompted me to look back at my editorial three years ago when I was getting ready to become a parent for the first time. […]
In its 2023 fall economic statement, the federal government said it will consider removing the rule that restricts Canadian pension funds from holding more than 30 per cent of the voting shares of most corporations. The move is part of an effort “to create an environment that encourages and identifies more opportunities for investments in […]
In its 2023 budget on Tuesday, the federal government proposed roughly $13 billion over the next five years and $4.4 billion ongoing to fully implement the national dental-care program. The plan — to be administered by Health Canada, with support from a third-party benefits administrator — will provide dental coverage for uninsured Canadians with annual […]
Canada’s employment insurance system requires modernization to withstand future economic challenges and to ensure Canadians’ financial security, according to a new report by the Institute for Research on Public Policy. The proportion of unemployed Canadians eligible for EI has decreased from 80 per cent in the 1980s to 40 per cent today, it said, noting […]
An article on the lack of benefits provided by small- and medium-sized employers in Eastern Canada was the most-read story on BenefitsCanada.com over the last week. Here are the five most popular news stories of the week: 1. 80% of SMEs in Eastern Canada don’t provide employee benefits: survey 2. Bank of England intervened in bond market to […]
Canada’s employment insurance system requires modernization to weather negative economic shocks, according to a new report by the C.D. Howe Institute. The report, which analyzed unemployment rates across Canada over 13 years, found 85 per cent of the variation in rates reflects provincial differences, including layoffs occurring in regions characterized by persistent high unemployment rates […]