The Bill will be aimed at creating an Employment Insurance Board Of Appeals
On December 14, the Canadian government introduced legislation amending the Ministry of Employment and Social Development Act and related changes to other acts to create the new Appeals Division for the Employment Insurance Agency.
“This is another step towards ensuring that Canadians are put at the heart of the appeals process. Thank you to the many Canadians across the country and the labour and employer groups who helped shape today’s legislation. Your participation in the consultations has been essential to building an appeal process for Employment Insurance that is more responsive to the needs of workers from coast to coast to coast.”
-Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion, Carla Qualtrough
Under the new system, appeals to EI) at the first level would be heard by a three-member appellate body called the EI Appeal Board, which would be overseen by the Canadian Employment Insurance Commission (CEIC). As a tripartite entity, the new boards of appeals will represent the interests of the government, workers, and employers, helping to return EI first-level appeal decisions to those paying into the EI system.
The EI Board of Appeal will function as a tripartite, rule-making body under the oversight of Canada’s Employment Insurance Board. Canadian labour unions welcome the federal government’s decision to return to tripartite decision-making for the employment insurance (EI) appeals process, resulting from the Social Security Court review that was first launched in 2017.
Employment insurance claimants will now have up to two years (instead of the current one-year limit) to collect evidence for their cases in the first stage of the appeals.
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