January 18, 2011
Mowat Centre EI Task Force Meeting in Toronto For Final Consultations.
Toronto – Consultations on the EI system will be hosted by the University of Toronto’s Mowat Centre this Friday, January 21 at the Distillery District in downtown Toronto. Over 100 thought leaders from business, government, non-profit sector and labour will join some of Canada’s top researchers to deliberate on how to fix Canada’s broken EI system.
The research and discussions will inform a series of non-partisan, Ontario-focused recommendations for a redesign of the EI program.
The Task Force Research Director, Keith Banting of Queen’s University and Task Force Advisory Committee co-chairs Roy Romaow, former Premier of Saskatchewan, and Ratna Omidvar, President of the Maytree Foundation, will attend the Toronto consultations.
“A growing number of researchers and practitioners think that there is a problem with the EI system,” says Ratna Omidvar. “This is the first time that practitioners, academics and stakeholders are coming together to try to find solutions in a non-partisan forum,” she adds.
Roy Romanow says that the work of the Mowat Centre EI Task Force is a crucial step forward. “It is a challenge for the federal government to move forward because of regional politics in Canada. But we have to find a way. This is one of the crucial social policy issues of our time – and we can do better. Perhaps through this Task Force we can build consensus and point the way.”
Mowat Centre Director Matthew Mendelsohn outlined the goals of the Task Force.
“We will outline an improved system of income support for the unemployed in Canada – one that strengthens our economy while also strengthening our social safety net.”
The Task Force will release its final report in fall 2011.
Read the full report Learn more about the Task Force and to read its foundation documents
