Bill C-50

2nd Session, 40th Parliament,

57-58 Elizabeth II, 2009

house of commons of canada

BILL C-50

An Act to amend the Employment Insurance Act and to increase benefits

Her Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate and House of Commons of Canada, enacts as follows:

EMPLOYMENT INSURANCE ACT

1. (1) Subsection 10(2) of the Employment Insurance Act is replaced by the following:

(2) Except as otherwise provided in subsections (10) to (15) and section 24, the length of a benefit period is 52 weeks, unless

(2) Subsection 10(2) of the Act, as enacted by subsection (1), is replaced by the following:

(2) Except as otherwise provided in subsections (10) to (15) and section 24, the length of a benefit period is 52 weeks.

2. (1) Subsection 12(2) of the Act is replaced by the following:

(2) Subject to subsections (2.1) to (2.4), the maximum number of weeks for which benefits may be paid in a benefit period because of a reason other than those mentioned in subsection (3) shall be determined in accordance with the table in Schedule I by reference to the regional rate of unemployment that applies to the claimant and the number of hours of insurable employment of the claimant in their qualifying period.

(2) Subsections 12(2) to (2.4) of the Act, as enacted by subsection (1), are replaced by the following:

(2) The maximum number of weeks for which benefits may be paid in a benefit period because of a reason other than those mentioned in subsection (3) shall be determined in accordance with the table in Schedule I by reference to the regional rate of unemployment that applies to the claimant and the number of hours of insurable employment of the claimant in their qualifying period.

(3) Subsection 12(6) of the Act is replaced by the following:

(6) In a claimant’s benefit period, the claim- ant may, subject to the applicable maximums, combine weeks of benefits to which the claimant is entitled because of a reason mentioned in subsections (2) and (3), but the total number of weeks of benefits shall not exceed 50 or, if the maximum number of weeks during which benefits may be paid to a claimant under subsection (2) is greater than 50 weeks as a result of the application of any of subsections (2.1) to (2.4), the number that corresponds to that maximum number of weeks.

(4) Subsection 12(6) of the Act, as enacted by subsection (3), is replaced by the following:

(6) In a claimant’s benefit period, the claim- ant may, subject to the applicable maximums, combine weeks of benefits to which the claimant is entitled because of a reason mentioned in subsections (2) and (3), but the total number of weeks of benefits shall not exceed 50.

CLAIMANTS NOT IN CANADA

3. Despite section 225 of the Budget Implementation Act, 2009, if a claimant is a claimant referred to in subsection 55(7) of the Employment Insurance Regulations who was paid less than 36 weeks of regular benefits in the 260 weeks before the beginning of the claimant’s benefit period and that benefit period was established during the period that begins on the later of January 4, 2009 and the Sunday before the day that is nine months before the day on which this section is deemed to have come into force and ends on June 5, 2010, the number of weeks of benefits in Schedule 10 to that Act that apply in respect of that claimant is deemed to be the number of weeks that would otherwise apply in respect of the claimant but for this section increased by

(a) 5 weeks, if the claimant contributed at least 30% of the maximum annual employee’s premium in 7 of the 10 years before the beginning of the claimant’s benefit period;

(b) 8 weeks, if the claimant contributed at least 30% of the maximum annual employee’s premium in 8 of the 11 years before the beginning of the claimant’s benefit period;

(c) 11 weeks, if the claimant contributed at least 30% of the maximum annual employee’s premium in 9 of the 12 years before the beginning of the claimant’s benefit period;

(d) 14 weeks, if the claimant contributed at least 30% of the maximum annual employee’s premium in 10 of the 13 years before the beginning of the claimant’s benefit period;

(e) 17 weeks, if the claimant contributed at least 30% of the maximum annual employee’s premium in 11 of the 14 years before the beginning of the claimant’s benefit period; or

(f) 20 weeks, if the claimant contributed at least 30% of the maximum annual employee’s premium in at least 12 of the 15 years before the beginning of the claimant’s benefit period.

4. Despite section 225 of the Budget Implementation Act, 2009, if a claimant is a claimant referred to in subsection 55(7) of the Employment Insurance Regulations who was paid less than 36 weeks of regular benefits in the 260 weeks before the beginning of the claimant’s benefit period and that benefit period was established during the period that begins on June 6, 2010 and ends on July 10, 2010, the number of weeks of benefits in Schedule 10 to that Act that apply in respect of that claimant is deemed to be the number of weeks that would otherwise apply in respect of the claimant but for this section increased by

(a) 3 weeks, if the claimant contributed at least 30% of the maximum annual employee’s premium in 8 of the 11 years before the beginning of the claimant’s benefit period;

(b) 6 weeks, if the claimant contributed at least 30% of the maximum annual employee’s premium in 9 of the 12 years before the beginning of the claimant’s benefit period;

(c) 9 weeks, if the claimant contributed at least 30% of the maximum annual employee’s premium in 10 of the 13 years before the beginning of the claimant’s benefit period;

(d) 12 weeks, if the claimant contributed at least 30% of the maximum annual employee’s premium in 11 of the 14 years before the beginning of the claimant’s benefit period; or

(e) 15 weeks, if the claimant contributed at least 30% of the maximum annual employee’s premium in at least 12 of the 15 years before the beginning of the claimant’s benefit period.

5. Despite section 225 of the Budget Implementation Act, 2009, if a claimant is a claimant referred to in subsection 55(7) of the Employment Insurance Regulations who was paid less than 36 weeks of regular benefits in the 260 weeks before the beginning of the claimant’s benefit period and that benefit period was established during the period that begins on July 11, 2010 and ends on August 7, 2010, the number of weeks of benefits in Schedule 10 to that Act that apply in respect of that claimant is deemed to be the number of weeks that would otherwise apply in respect of the claimant but for this section increased by

(a) 1 week, if the claimant contributed at least 30% of the maximum annual employee’s premium in 9 of the 12 years before the beginning of the claimant’s benefit period;

(b) 4 weeks, if the claimant contributed at least 30% of the maximum annual employee’s premium in 10 of the 13 years before the beginning of the claimant’s benefit period;

(c) 7 weeks, if the claimant contributed at least 30% of the maximum annual employee’s premium in 11 of the 14 years before the beginning of the claimant’s benefit period; or

(d) 10 weeks, if the claimant contributed at least 30% of the maximum annual employee’s premium in at least 12 of the 15 years before the beginning of the claimant’s benefit period.

6. Despite section 225 of the Budget Implementation Act, 2009, if a claimant is a claimant referred to in subsection 55(7) of the Employment Insurance Regulations who was paid less than 36 weeks of regular benefits in the 260 weeks before the beginning of the claimant’s benefit period and that benefit period was established during the period that begins on August 8, 2010 and ends on September 11, 2010, the number of weeks of benefits in Schedule 10 to that Act that apply in respect of that claimant is deemed to be the number of weeks that would otherwise apply in respect of the claimant but for this section increased by

(a) 2 weeks, if the claimant contributed at least 30% of the maximum annual employee’s premium in 11 of the 14 years before the beginning of the claimant’s benefit period; or

(b) 5 weeks, if the claimant contributed at least 30% of the maximum annual employee’s premium in at least 12 of the 15 years before the beginning of the claimant’s benefit period.

7. With respect to a claimant to whom any of sections 3 to 6 applies whose benefit period has not been extended under any of subsections 10(13) to (13.3) of the Employment Insurance Act, subsection 55(10) of the Employment Insurance Regulations is deemed to read as follows:

(10) In a claimant’s benefit period, a claim- ant who is not in Canada or a claimant referred to in subsection (8), subject to the applicable maximums set out in paragraphs (7)(a) and (b), may combine the weeks of benefits to which the claimant is entitled, but the total number of weeks of benefits shall not exceed 50 or, if the maximum number of weeks during which benefits may be paid to a claimant under section 225 of the Budget Implementation Act, 2009 is equal to or greater than 50 weeks as a result of the application of any provision of any Act of Parliament, other than the Employment Insurance Act, the number that corresponds to that maximum number of weeks.

COMING INTO FORCE

8. (1) Subsections 1(1) and 2(1) and (3) and sections 3 to 7 are deemed to have come into force on the second Sunday before the day on which this Act receives royal assent.

(2) Subsections 1(2) and 2(2) and (4) come into force on September 12, 2010.