In 1996, the unemployment insurance system was renamed “Employment Insurance” (EI) and reformed to identify two components: one that provides income allowances to unemployed people who had paid EI premiums; and second, offers a number of employment programs for unemployed clients to prepare them to return to work quickly. The Labour Insurance Act also gave provinces and territories the opportunity to provide these training programs. [2] Initial LMDAs date back to the beginning of the process of decentralizing labour market formation in the provinces in 1996. The first bilateral agreement was signed with Alberta in December 1996 and implemented in November 1997. The inclusion of all provinces and territories has been a lengthy process that culminated in the recognition in Budget 2007 that provinces and territories are primarily responsible for the development and implementation of labour market training, and with the signing of the last bilateral agreements by 2010. [3] Canada-wide activities fall under the jurisdiction of THENK and are implemented with funds under the second part. These include Aboriginal programming; Improving investments in skills at work The search for innovations and support for agreements with the provinces/territories and the labour market information service. [23] Under section 41 of the Desd Act, the Minister may enter into agreements to obtain information for the management or implementation of a program with provincial governments. EbSM was also established in 1996 and funded by the LMDAs.
They offer the unemployed or those who are not related to the labour market various programs and services to help them find training or find employment. The Committee was informed that this programming has not changed much since 1996, despite significant changes in the labour market and the Canadian economy. Mary-Lou Donnelly, European Commissioner for Workers, the Employment Insurance Commission of Canada, told the commission that the process of renewing the LMDAs should ensure that the new generation of agreements is relevant to the reality of current workers and employers. [4] Matthew Mendelsohn, Director of the Mowat Centre, also spoke about labour market restructuring and cited the example of Ontario: Canada has labour market transfer agreements with provincial and territorial territories called “Labour Market Agreements for Persons with Disabilities,” the Canada Employment Fund agreements and the targeted initiative for older workers. Unauthorized persons can benefit from LMAs qualification and training services. Workers who lack basic skills and low levels of reading and writing can also benefit from LMA-funded skills and training. Bilateral agreements have been signed with the 10 provinces and 3 territories. LMAs make $500 million per year available to provincial and territorial governments to cover the costs of these services. The goal of the LMAs is similar to that of the LMDAs; The objective of the funding is to increase the participation of under-represented groups in the labour market and to ensure that these groups have the appropriate skills to compete in the labour market. [24] In Budget 2017, Canada announced a commitment to make these labour market transfer agreements simpler and more flexible by consolidating them into new labour development agreements; 6.
(1) Alberta is committed to providing eligible recipients with employment and training assistance to improve their ability to do their current work, prepare for new employment, improve their labour market participation, help them develop the skills needed to find and maintain employment, improve their labour market performance and develop their workforce.