Hon. Alice Wong, P.C.

The next Throne Speech will be on March 3, 2010 and a Budget on March 4, 2010.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

— Lt.-Col. John McCrae (1872 – 1918)

On November 3, 2009, the government introduced legislation to the House of Commons, Bill C-56, that will enable people that are self-employed to opt into the Employment Insurance program. They will have to pay the employee premium only (not the employer’s amount). In 2009 this amounted to $1.73 per $100 of income, up to a maximum of $731.79 in EI premiums per year – observe the earliest date that a person can opt into the program is January 1, 2010, and the 2010 EI premium rates have not been announced yet.

Self-employed people opting into this program, after one year, will be eligible to claim EI benefits for Maternity (15 weeks), Parential/Adoptive (35 weeks), Sickness (15 weeks) and Compassionate Care (6 weeks). Note that this does not include regular EI benefits (i.e. for loss of employment).

The following is a backgrounder on the details of the legislation:

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Fairness for the Self-Employed Act

Income protection for life-transition events, such as the birth of a child, adoption, illness, and the care of a gravely ill family member, is a key contributor to the financial security of all Canadian workers. The 2008 Speech from the Throne recognized the challenges facing self-employed Canadians as they deal with the dual pressure of being entrepreneurs and caring for their families. In Budget 2009, the Government proposed to examine ways to best provide self-employed Canadians with access to Employment Insurance (EI) maternity and parental benefits. The Government has now introduced the Fairness for the Self-Employed Act, legislation that would fulfill and exceed this commitment.

Through the new legislation, self-employed Canadians who opt into the EI program would be eligible to receive the same special benefits currently available to salaried employees, specifically:

* maternity benefits (15 weeks maximum) are available to birth mothers and cover the period surrounding birth (a claim can start up to 8 weeks before the expected birth date);

* parental/adoptive benefits (35 weeks maximum) are available to biological or adoptive parents while they are caring for a newborn or newly adopted child, and may be taken by either parent or shared between them (if parents opt to share these benefits, only one waiting period must be served);

* sickness benefits (15 weeks maximum), which may be paid to a person who is unable to work because of sickness, injury or quarantine; and

* compassionate care benefits (6 weeks maximum), which may be paid to persons who have to be away from work temporarily to provide care or support to a family member who is gravely ill with a significant risk of death.

Under the proposed legislation, self-employed Canadians would be required to opt into the program at least one year prior to claiming benefits. They would also be responsible for making premium payments starting with the tax year in which they apply to the program. With a program start date of January 2010, claims could be made as early as January 1, 2011.

To access EI special benefits, self-employed individuals would need to have earned a minimum of $6,000 in self-employed earnings over the preceding calendar year.

The self-employed could opt out of the EI program at the end of any tax year, as long as they have never claimed benefits. If they have claimed benefits, they would have to contribute on self-employed earnings for as long as they are self-employed.

Self-employed Canadians who opt into the program would pay the same EI premium rate as salaried employees. They would not be required to pay the employer portion of premiums, in recognition of the fact that they would not have access to EI regular benefits.

Self-employed residents of Quebec would continue to receive maternity and parental benefits through the Quebec Parental Insurance Program provided by the Government of Quebec. In addition, they would now be eligible to take advantage of the sickness and compassionate care benefits being offered by the Government of Canada through EI. Should they choose to take advantage of the program, they would pay EI premiums at the same rates as employees in Quebec, where rates have already been adjusted downward to take into account the existence of a provincial maternity and parental benefit plan.

Through the Economic Action Plan, the Government of Canada has also implemented measures to support all unemployed Canadians. These measures include providing 5 extra weeks of EI regular benefits, increasing the maximum duration of benefits from 45 to 50 weeks in regions of high unemployment, protecting jobs through the Work-Sharing program, and freezing EI premiums for 2010 at the same rate as 2009 to provide economic stimulus. For more information on these measures, please visit www.actionplan.gc.ca.

Most recently, the Government introduced legislation to extend EI regular benefits for unemployed long-tenured workers, who are individuals that have paid EI premiums for years and made limited use of the program, and who now need additional support while they look for jobs in a recovering economy. Further information on this proposed measure is available at www.hrsdc.gc.ca.

STATEMENT BY ALICE WONG ON TYPHOON KETSANA

RICHMOND – Alice Wong, MP for Richmond and Parliamentary Secretary for Multiculturalism, would like to express her condolences for the victims of Typhoon Ketsana, which struck the Philippine mainland on September 26, 2009.

Alice Wong stated, “I am deeply saddened for the loss of life suffered by those victimized by the typhoon. I will continue working with the Ministry of International Cooperation in Ottawa, and the local Filipino community to find ways to assist with this natural disaster.”

Typhoon Ketsana brought extremely heavy rains, and exceeded the record for rainfall in the metropolitan Manila area, leading to the worst flooding in recent history.

The third Economic Action Plan report will be tabled in Parliament on September 28, 2009.

In addition, the government, on September 16, 2009, has introduced in the House of Commons Bill C-50, An Act to amend the Employment Insurance Act and to increase benefits. You can read the text of the bill that was introduced to the house by clicking here.

A Ways and Means motion was voted in the House of Commons on September 18, 2009. This motion implements aspects of Budget 2009, including the Home Renovation Tax Credit. You can read the Ways and Means motion here.

If you wish to have your say with respect to the next federal budget, the deadline to submit pre-budget consultations to the Standing Committee of Finance on August 14, 2009.

You can read more information on how to submit comments by following this link.

If you wish to send your views to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance, please go to the following link for more information.

The Committee will be meeting in Vancouver on September 28, 2009. If you wish to appear before the committee, your application must be sent in before July 31, 2009, and your written brief must be sent no later than August 14, 2009.

The Committee is interested in hearing interested Canadians’ views on the following questions:

In this context, the Committee invites all interested Canadians to participate in the pre-budget consultations and to share their views on the following two questions:

1. What federal tax and program spending measures are needed to ensure prosperity and a sustainable future for Canadians from an economic, social and/or environmental perspective?

2. What federal stimulus measures have been effective and how might relatively ineffective measures be changed to ensure that they have the intended effects?

Again, if you are interested, please read the following link for details.

On July 1st, Canada celebrates its 142nd birthday. Happy Canada Day!

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As the sun rose over the beaches of Normandy 65 years ago, Canadian Forces from land, air and sea came together on D-Day in the pursuit of freedom. By the time the sun set that day, the Canadians had progressed farther than any other Allied troops.

The Canadian triumph at D-Day and the Battle of Normandy was not without sacrifice. Of the more than 90,000 Canadians who served in the Battle of Normandy, more than 5,000 would lay down their lives defending the values of freedom, democracy and the rule of law that we cherish today.

Canada remembers June 6, 1944. Across Canada and at Juno Beach in France, Canadians will join together to salute our Veterans of D-Day and the Battle of Normandy whose contributions and sacrifices led to the end of the Second World War.

For a list of events in your community, and for information on events in France, visit www.vac-acc.gc.ca.

On June 6, Canada Remembers. Canada Remembers D-Day.

Alice Wong, MP (Richmond)

Richmond Office:
Unit 360 – 5951 No. 3 Road
Richmond, BC
V6X 2E3

Phone: 604-775-5790
Fax: 604-775-6291
E-Mail: WongA1@parl.gc.ca

Ottawa Office:
House of Commons
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Phone: 613-995-2021 / 1-877-775-5790 (toll-free)
Fax: 613-995-2174
E-Mail: Wong.A@parl.gc.ca