About the Task Force

The Mowat Centre convened the Employment Insurance Task Force to examine Canada’s support system for the unemployed and propose a blueprint for a strengthened national system. The Mowat Centre EI Task Force is independent, non-partisan, and research-driven.

Keith Banting, one of Canada's leading scholars of social policy, served as the Task Force’s Research Director. To help ensure the success of the Task Force, an Advisory Committee was established to offer sectoral, technical and regional perspectives. Roy Romanow, former Premier of Saskatchewan, and Ratna Omidvar, President of the Maytree Foundation, co-chaired the Advisory Committee.

The Task Force’s final recommendations were released on November 16, 2011. All research conducted through the task force was published as part of the Task Force’s findings. The Task Force brought together a wide cross-section of Canadian leaders and researchers to develop its proposal for reform.

Research

The Mowat EI Task Force commissioned independent research papers on the EI program. These papers each addressed different areas of the EI system and presented potential options for reform. The papers were each peer reviewed and were also reviewed by practitioners in government and other organizations engaged with the EI program. Click here for a list of authors and their paper titles .

Consultation

The Task Force consulted with stakeholders across Ontario and received written submissions from individuals and organizations.

In Kingston, North Bay, and Windsor, the Task Force met with social service, non-profit, business, labour, Aboriginal, and municipal government stakeholders as well as people with real life experience with the EI system. In each community the Task Force learned about the operation of the EI program in the local context.

The Mowat Centre EI Task Force also convened a larger dialogue and conference in Toronto. This event was attended by representatives of provincial and national labour unions, business and industry associations, Aboriginal organizations, financial institutions, non-profit organizations, and private charitable foundations. Representatives of organizations engaged with issues relating to unemployment, labour market development, and training in the GTA also attended along with representatives for the City of Toronto, Ontario, and federal governments.

These consultations were guided by the Task Force’s Consultation Workbook and Discussion paper . The Task Force aggregated the results of the consultation process in a Consultation Report Back .