Observation (CEACR) - adopted 2011, published 101st ILC session (2012)

Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122) - Canada (Ratification: 1966)

Implementation of an active employment policy. Involvement of the social partners. The Committee notes the Government’s report received in September 2011 which includes detailed information provided by the provincial governments. It also notes the comments and useful labour market information provided by the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) and the Confederation of National Trade Unions (CSN). The Government indicates that between October 2008 and July 2009, 427,900 jobs were shed from the Canadian economy (on a seasonally adjusted basis). The Committee notes that Canada has rebounded much more quickly from this recession than from those of the 1980s and the 1990s. During the recovery, the labour market gained almost 590,000 jobs since July 2009. The unemployment rate rose to an 11-year high of 8.6 per cent in July 2009 but declined by 1.2 percentage points to 7.4 per cent in June 2011. The Government indicates that it published a report on the job impact of the Economic Action Plan (Budget 2009) in January 2011. The report confirmed that Budget 2009 achieved its objective with over 220,000 jobs estimated to have been created or maintained since December 2010. The Government indicates that consultations were held with private sector employers in February and March 2010 to discuss their labour market experiences during the recession and into the economic recovery, and the nature of their human resource management responses. The Committee notes that Budget 2011 includes new targeted measures to support jobs and growth. It also notes that the CLC reiterates its 2009 comments pertaining to the Government’s failure to declare and pursue, as a major goal, an active policy to promote full, productive and freely chosen employment, and for this to be well integrated into socio-economic decision making in Canada. The CLC is concerned that unemployment is much higher now than before the recession, and many workers can find only part-time and temporary, low-paid jobs. In 2010, part-time employment reached a record high of one in five workers. In the recovery period, short-term contract jobs have grown much faster than permanent jobs. The real unemployment rate, counting discouraged workers and involuntary part-timers, was still over 10 per cent at the start of 2011. In response to the comments made by the CLC, the Government indicates that all Canadian governments are pursuing, as a major goal, active policies designed to promote full, productive and freely chosen employment and that policies support the aims identified in Article 2 of the Convention. These policies are reviewed to respond to changing economic circumstances and all jurisdictions have established extensive programmes for the application of these measures. Persons affected by these measures, including employer and worker representatives, are consulted. The Committee invites the Government to continue to provide information in its next report on employment measures adopted and their outcomes with the objective of maintaining full employment. It also invites the Government to keep in mind the concerns raised by the social partners and to provide further information on the effective consultations held on the matters covered by the Convention.

Education and training policies. The Government indicates that the Career Transition Assistance (CTA) initiative, which came into force on 31 May 2009, has helped more than 14,000 long-tenured workers who needed additional support for retraining to find a new job. While eligibility for the CTA measures ended in May 2010, claimants who met the eligibility criteria for the CTA could begin training until May 2011 and continue to receive benefits as late as May 2012. The Committee notes that the Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) has allocated more than 31.3 million Canadian Dollars (CAD) to support Pan Canadian Innovations Initiative (PCII) activities since 2006. The Government reports that while some PCII projects have been completed and results are positive, evaluation data is not yet available. The Committee asks the Government to continue to provide information on the measures taken in the area of education and training policies and on their relation to prospective employment opportunities.

Young persons. The Government indicates that it invests almost CAD340 million into the Youth Employment Strategy (YES) to help youth between the ages of 15 and 30 acquire the skills and work experience they need to successfully prepare for the labour market and for the jobs of the future. The primary objectives of the YES are to enhance employability skills, encourage education attainment, and facilitate the transition of young persons into the labour market. The Committee notes the concerns raised by the CSN indicating that the unemployment rate of young persons between the ages of 15 and 24 reached 14.1 per cent in July 2011, as compared to 11.7 per cent in October 2008. The CSN hopes that the Government will pay attention to the integration of young persons in the labour market. The Committee invites the Government to provide an evaluation of labour market measures regarding young persons.

Aboriginal people. The Government indicates that the HRSDC implements complementary Aboriginal labour market programmes supporting the participation of Aboriginal people in the Canadian economy. Launched in April 2010, the Aboriginal Skills and Employment Training Strategy (ASETS) is a five-year strategy designed to help Aboriginal people prepare for, find, and keep high-demand jobs now and in the long term. Aboriginal people, regardless of status or location, may access its programmes and services, which include: job-finding skills and training, programmes for youth, Aboriginal people with disabilities, and access to child care for people in training. The Committee notes that, in the 2010–11 period, more than 14,300 people found employment and over 7,000 returned to school through ASETS. It also notes other measures aimed at increasing employment opportunities for Aboriginal people such as the Skills and Partnership Fund (SPF) and the Aboriginal Skills and Employment Partnership (ASEP). The Committee invites the Government to include information on the impact of the measures taken to promote productive employment opportunities for Aboriginal people.

Means to promote employment of other vulnerable categories of workers. The Government indicates that the Labour Market Agreements for Persons with Disabilities (LMAPDs) and the Opportunities Fund (OF) for persons with disabilities respond to the labour market needs of employers as well as support the development of education, knowledge and skills for persons with disabilities to foster their participation in the labour market. LMAPDs provide approximately CAD218 million to provinces for programmes which serve around 300,000 people. The Canada-Manitoba LMAPD was evaluated in 2010 and the results indicated that the programme addressed employment barriers, such as low educational attainment and lack of essential workplace skills, and that employment-related interventions were associated with improvements in outcomes (earnings/hours worked). Additional funding was allocated to the Targeted Initiative for Older Workers (TIOW) in order to extend the programme until 2013–14. All provinces and territories are participating in the programme and as of July 2011, 294 projects have been approved, assisting approximately 15,500 unemployed older workers. Results from the 2010 evaluation of the TIOW show that 75 per cent of participants surveyed have found employment during or after their participation in the TIOW and 80 per cent felt more employable as a result of the project activities. The Government also indicates that in February and March 2011, HRSDC consulted with employers and older workers (aged 50 and over) in eight cities across Canada to explore factors influencing the decisions and ability of older workers to continue working, current and best practices for retaining and recruiting older workers, and the potential role for government and other labour market stakeholders. Furthermore, the Government indicates that it is committed to working with partners and stakeholders to position Canada as a destination of choice for immigrants and to break down barriers to integration, which include the recognition of foreign educational credentials. To this end, the Pan-Canadian Framework for the Assessment and Recognition of Foreign Qualifications was announced in November 2009. Since the launch of the Framework, governments have worked collaboratively towards the enhancement of foreign qualification recognition processes across Canada so that internationally-trained workers can integrate more quickly and effectively into the labour market. The Committee invites the Government to include information on the effectiveness of labour market measures regarding workers with disabilities, older workers, immigrants, and other vulnerable categories of workers.