Assented to 2005-07-20
An Act respecting the Department of Employment and Social Development and to amend and repeal certain related Acts
Her Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate and House of Commons of Canada, enacts as follows:
Marginal note: Short title
Marginal note: Definitions
2 The following definitions apply in this Act.
means the Employment Insurance Board of Appeal established under section 43.01. ( Conseil d’appel )
means the Canada Employment Insurance Commission continued by section 20. ( Commission )
means the Minister of Employment and Social Development. ( ministre )
means the Social Security Tribunal established under section 44. ( Tribunal )
Marginal note: Department continued
Marginal note: Deputy Minister
Marginal note: Powers, duties and functions
Marginal note: Service delivery to public
Marginal note: Fees — services and facilities
Marginal note: Powers
6 In exercising the powers and performing the duties and functions assigned to the Minister under this or any other Act, the Minister may
Marginal note: Programs
7 The Minister may, in exercising the powers and performing the duties and functions assigned by this Act, establish and implement programs designed to support projects or other activities that contribute to the development of the human resources of Canada and the skills of Canadians, to the social development of Canada or to service delivery to the public, and the Minister may make grants and contributions in support of the programs.
Marginal note: Business numbers — Minister
8 The Minister may collect any , as defined in subsection 248(1) of the Income Tax Act , and use it as an identifier for the purposes of the administration or enforcement any Act, program or activity in respect of which the administration or enforcement is the responsibility of the Minister.
Marginal note: Social Insurance Numbers
8.1 The Minister may collect and use a person’s Social Insurance Number to verify their identity for the purposes of the administration or enforcement of any Act, program or activity in respect of which the administration or enforcement is the responsibility of the Minister.
Marginal note: Committees
Marginal note: Agreements
10 For the purpose of facilitating the formulation, coordination and implementation of any program or policy relating to the powers, duties and functions conferred by this Act, the Minister may enter into agreements with a province or a provincial public body, financial institutions and other persons or bodies that the Minister considers appropriate.
Marginal note: Delegation
11 The Minister may authorize the Minister of Labour, the Commission or any other person or body, or member of a class of persons or bodies, to exercise any power or perform any duty or function of the Minister.
Marginal note: Oaths and affidavits
12 A person or member of a class of persons employed by the Department and authorized by the Deputy Minister and any other person or member of a class of persons authorized by the Minister may, in the course of their duties, administer oaths and take and receive affidavits, declarations and affirmations for the purposes of or incidental to the performance of their duties, and every person so authorized has for those purposes all the powers of a commissioner for administering oaths or taking affidavits.
Marginal note: Fees for services and use of facilities
Marginal note: Fees for products, rights and privileges
14 The Minister may, subject to any regulations that the Treasury Board may make for the purposes of this section, fix the fees to be paid for products, rights and privileges provided by the Minister, the Department, the Commission or any other board or agency of the Government of Canada for which the Minister has responsibility.
Marginal note: Fees for regulatory processes and approvals
Marginal note: Publication
Marginal note: Power to make regulations
17 The Treasury Board may make regulations for the purposes of sections 13 to 15.
Marginal note: Minister of Labour
Marginal note: Programs
19 The Minister of Labour may, in exercising the powers and performing the duties and functions assigned by subsection 18(2), establish and implement programs designed to support projects or other activities that promote safe, healthy, fair, stable, cooperative and productive workplaces, and the Minister may make grants and contributions in support of the programs.
Marginal note: Business numbers — Minister of Labour
19.01 The Minister of Labour may collect any , as defined in subsection 248(1) of the Income Tax Act , and use it as an identifier for the purposes of the administration or enforcement of any Act, program or activity in respect of which the administration or enforcement is the responsibility of that Minister.
Marginal note: Social Insurance Numbers — Minister of Labour
19.02 The Minister of Labour may collect and use a person’s Social Insurance Number to verify their identity for the purposes of the administration or enforcement of any Act, program or activity in respect of which the administration or enforcement is the responsibility of that Minister.
Marginal note: Crediting to Labour Cooperation Treaties Account
Marginal note: Commission
Marginal note: Tenure, remuneration and conditions of office
Marginal note: Chairperson
Marginal note: Voting
23 The Vice-Chairperson may not vote at any meeting of the Commission unless the Vice-Chairperson is acting for or on behalf of the Chairperson.
Marginal note: Powers, duties and functions of the Commission
Marginal note: Business numbers — Commission
24.1 The Commission may collect any , as defined in subsection 248(1) of the Income Tax Act , and use it as an identifier for the purposes of the administration or enforcement of the Employment Insurance Act .
Marginal note: Rules
Marginal note: Agent of Her Majesty
Marginal note: Head office
Marginal note: Staff
Marginal note: Registration
Marginal note: Social Insurance Register
Marginal note: Change of name
28.3 When the name of a person to whom a Social Insurance Number has been assigned changes because of marriage or otherwise, the person shall inform the Commission of their new name within 60 days after the day on which the change of name becomes effective, unless they have already so informed another authority empowered to receive that information.
Marginal note: Prohibitions
Marginal note: Designation of investigators
Marginal note: Audit by Auditor General
29 The Auditor General of Canada shall annually audit the accounts and financial transactions of the Commission for the previous fiscal year. The Auditor General shall also audit the Employment Insurance Operating Account established by section 70.2 of the Employment Insurance Act , and a report of that audit shall be made to the Minister.
Marginal note: Definitions
Marginal note: Purpose
31 This Part sets out the rules that apply to the protection and the making available of information that is obtained by the Minister or the Commission under a program or prepared from that information. This Part also sets out principles for the use of information for research purposes.
Marginal note: Protection of information
32 Information is privileged and shall not be made available unless
Marginal note: Availability of information — individuals and representatives
Marginal note: Availability of information for a program
Marginal note: Service delivery programs
Marginal note: Non-application — information made available
Marginal note: Availability of information — federal institutions
Marginal note: Availability of information — provincial authorities
Marginal note: Information relative to Social Insurance Numbers
36.1 Despite any other Act or law, the minister or other authority charged with the administration or enforcement of an Act under which Social Insurance Numbers may be assigned and the Minister may exchange the information contained in any applications for such numbers and the numbers so assigned, and may make available any of that information or those numbers in any manner that may be authorized by that Act.
Marginal note: Availability of information — certain persons or bodies
Marginal note: Public interest
Marginal note: Research or statistical purposes
38 Information may be made available for research or statistical purposes to any person or body, including a person or body referred to in section 35, 36 or 36.2 of this Act or in section 105 of the Canada Pension Plan , if
Marginal note: Use of information for research purposes
Marginal note: Evidence and production of documents
40 Despite any other Act or law, the Minister, the members of the Commission and public officers shall not be required, in connection with any legal proceedings, to give evidence relating to information that is privileged under section 32 or to produce a statement or other writing that contains any such privileged information unless the Minister considers that it is appropriate to do so or the legal proceeding directly concerns the administration or enforcement of a program.
Marginal note: Agreements authorizing the obtaining of information
41 The Minister may enter into agreements to obtain information for the administration or enforcement of a program with federal institutions, governments of provinces or public bodies created under provincial law, governments of foreign states, international organizations of states or international organizations established by the governments of states, any institution of any such government or organization, and other persons or bodies.
Marginal note: Offence
Marginal note: Regulations
43 The Governor in Council may, by regulation, prescribe
Marginal note: Establishment of Board of Appeal
43.01 The Employment Insurance Board of Appeal is established.
Marginal note: Appointment — Executive Head
Marginal note: Composition
Marginal note: Executive Head
Marginal note: Board of Appeal hearings — three-member panels
Marginal note: Remuneration
Marginal note: Employees, services and facilities
43.08 The Minister is responsible for providing the Board of Appeal with the employees of the Department, the support services and the facilities that are needed by the Board of Appeal to exercise its powers and perform its duties and functions.
Marginal note: Immunity
43.09 No civil proceedings lie against the Executive Head, any regional coordinator or any member of the Board of Appeal for anything done or said in good faith in the exercise or purported exercise of a power or in the performance or purported performance of a duty or function of the Board of Appeal.
Marginal note: Competence and compellability
43.1 The Executive Head, the regional coordinators and the members of the Board of Appeal are not competent or compellable to appear as a witness in any civil proceedings in respect of any matter coming to their knowledge in the course of the exercise of a power or in the performance of a duty or function of the Board of Appeal.
Marginal note: Establishment of Tribunal
Marginal note: Composition
Marginal note: Chairperson
Marginal note: Vice-chairpersons
Marginal note: Employment Insurance Section
47 The Minister must consult a committee composed of the Chairperson of the Tribunal and the commissioners referred to in paragraphs 20(2)(c) and (d) before recommending to the Governor in Council any person to be appointed as a member of the Tribunal who may hear matters in the Employment Insurance Section.
Marginal note: Full-time occupation
Marginal note: Remuneration
Marginal note: Immunity
50 No civil proceedings lie against any member of the Tribunal for anything done or said in good faith in the exercise or purported exercise of a power or in the performance or purported performance of a duty or function of the Tribunal.
Marginal note: Competence and compellability
50.1 A member of the Tribunal is not competent or compellable to appear as a witness in any civil proceedings in respect of any matter coming to their knowledge in the course of the exercise of a power or in the performance of a duty or function of the Tribunal.
Marginal note: Absence — Chairperson
Marginal note: Appeal — time limit
53 [Repealed, 2021, c. 23, s. 224]
Marginal note: Decision
Marginal note: Appeal
55 Any decision of the General Division may be appealed to the Appeal Division by any person who is the subject of the decision and any other prescribed person.
Marginal note: Leave
Marginal note: Appeal — time limit
Marginal note: Grounds of appeal — Employment Insurance Section
Marginal note: Leave to appeal — Income Security Section
58.1 Leave to appeal a decision made by the Income Security Section is to be granted if the application for leave to appeal
Marginal note: Decision — leave to appeal
Marginal note: Hearing de novo — Income Security Section
58.3 An appeal to the Appeal Division of a decision made by the Income Security Section is to be heard and determined as a new proceeding.
Marginal note: Decision
Marginal note: Head office
Marginal note: Services and facilities
Marginal note: Tribunal sittings
61 Every application made or appeal brought to the Tribunal is to be heard before a single member unless the Chairperson is of the opinion that a panel of three members should be constituted.
Marginal note: Tribunal hearings
62 All or part of a Tribunal hearing may be held in private in the circumstances provided for in the regulations.
Marginal note: Expenses and allowances
Marginal note: Representation of party
63.1 A party may, at their own expense, be represented by a representative of their choice.
Marginal note: Powers of tribunal
65 If, in the Minister’s opinion, a person in addition to the appellant may be directly affected by the decision of the Tribunal relating to any of the following appeals, the Minister must notify the Tribunal of all such persons, and the Tribunal must add as a party to the appeal any such person who is not already a party to it:
66 [Repealed, 2021, c. 23, s. 235]
Marginal note: Time limits
67 The Chairperson or a Vice-chairperson may, in any particular case for special reasons, extend the time within which the Tribunal is required by regulation to make a decision under subsections 54(1), 58.2(1) and 59(1).
Marginal note: Decision final
68 The decision of the Tribunal on any application made or appeal brought under this Act is final and, except for judicial review under the Federal Courts Act , is not subject to appeal to or review by any court.
Marginal note: Annual report
68.1 The Chairperson must, within three months after the end of each fiscal year, submit to the Minister a report on the Tribunal’s performance during that fiscal year.
Marginal note: Commission
68.2 The Commission may, with the approval of the Governor in Council, make regulations with regard to the Board of Appeal respecting
Marginal note: Governor in Council
69 The Governor in Council may make regulations respecting the manner in which the Tribunal may conduct its business, including regulations respecting
Marginal note: Regulations — electronic documents and electronic information
Marginal note: Application
70.1 This Part applies to any Act, program or activity whose administration or enforcement is the responsibility of the Minister, the Minister of Labour or the Commission.
Marginal note: Powers
Marginal note: Electronic manner of filing documents
Marginal note: Regulations
74 [Repealed, 2012, c. 19, s. 224]
75 [Repealed, 2012, c. 19, s. 224]
76 [Repealed, 2012, c. 19, s. 224]
77 [Repealed, 2012, c. 19, s. 224]
78 [Repealed, 2012, c. 19, s. 224]
79 [Repealed, 2012, c. 19, s. 224]
80 [Repealed, 2012, c. 19, s. 224]
81 [Repealed, 2012, c. 19, s. 224]
82 [Repealed, 2012, c. 19, s. 224]
83 [Repealed, 2012, c. 19, s. 224]
84 [Repealed, 2012, c. 19, s. 224]
85 [Repealed, 2012, c. 19, s. 224]
Chapter 12 of the , within the meaning of subsection 2(1) of the Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act , as amended from time to time in accordance with Article 21.2 of that Agreement.
Chapter 13 of the Free Trade Agreement between Canada and Ukraine, done at Kyiv on July 11, 2016, as amended from time to time in accordance with Article 19.3 of that Agreement.
Chapter 18 of the Free Trade Agreement between Canada and the Republic of Korea, done at Ottawa on September 22, 2014, as amended from time to time in accordance with Article 23.2 of that Agreement.
The Agreement on Labour Cooperation between Canada and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, signed on June 28, 2009, as amended from time to time in accordance with Article 22 of that Agreement.
The Agreement on Labour Cooperation between Canada and the Republic of Colombia, signed on November 21, 2008, as amended from time to time in accordance with Article 30 of that Agreement.
The Agreement on Labour Cooperation between Canada and the Republic of Honduras, done at Ottawa on November 5, 2013, as amended from time to time in accordance with Article 22 of that Agreement.
The Agreement on Labour Cooperation between Canada and the Republic of Panama, done at Ottawa on May 13, 2010, as amended from time to time in accordance with Article 22 of that Agreement.
The Agreement on Labour Cooperation between Canada and the Republic of Peru, signed on May 29, 2008, as amended from time to time in accordance with Article 30 of that Agreement.