Legislative Assembly of Alberta The 30th Legislature Second Session Standing Committee on Alberta’s Economic Future Ministry of Labour and Immigration Consideration of Main Estimates Wednesday, March 10, 2021 7 p.m. Transcript No. 30-2-8 Legislative Assembly of Alberta The 30th Legislature Second Session Standing Committee on Alberta’s Economic Future Neudorf, Nathan T., Lethbridge-East (UC), Chair Goehring, Nicole, Edmonton-Castle Downs (NDP), Deputy Chair Loyola, Rod, Edmonton-Ellerslie (NDP),* Acting Deputy Chair Armstrong-Homeniuk, Jackie, Fort Saskatchewan-Vegreville (UC) Barnes, Drew, Cypress-Medicine Hat (UC) Bilous, Deron, Edmonton-Beverly-Clareview (NDP) Irwin, Janis, Edmonton-Highlands-Norwood (NDP) Pitt, Angela D., Airdrie-East (UC)** Reid, Roger W., Livingstone-Macleod (UC) Rosin, Miranda D., Banff-Kananaskis (UC) Rowswell, Garth, Vermilion-Lloydminster-Wainwright (UC) Sweet, Heather, Edmonton-Manning (NDP) Toor, Devinder, Calgary-Falconridge (UC)*** Turton, Searle, Spruce Grove-Stony Plain (UC)**** van Dijken, Glenn, Athabasca-Barrhead-Westlock (UC) Walker, Jordan, Sherwood Park (UC) * substitution for Nicole Goehring ** substitution for Glenn van Dijken *** substitution for Drew Barnes **** substitution for Roger Reid Also in Attendance Gray, Christina, Edmonton-Mill Woods (NDP) Nielsen, Christian E., Edmonton-Decore (NDP) Support Staff Shannon Dean, QC Clerk Teri Cherkewich Law Clerk Trafton Koenig Senior Parliamentary Counsel Philip Massolin Clerk Assistant and Director of House Services Sarah Amato Research Officer Melanie Niemi-Bohun Research Officer Nancy Robert Clerk of Journals and Research Officer Warren Huffman Committee Clerk Jody Rempel Committee Clerk Aaron Roth Committee Clerk Rhonda Sorensen Manager of Corporate Communications Jeanette Dotimas Communications Consultant Tracey Sales Communications Consultant Janet Schwegel Director of Parliamentary Programs Amanda LeBlanc Deputy Editor of Alberta Hansard Transcript produced by Alberta Hansard Standing Committee on Alberta’s Economic Future Participants Ministry of Labour and Immigration Hon. Jason C. Copping, Minister Michele Evans, Assistant Deputy Minister, Workforce Strategies March 10, 2021 Alberta’s Economic Future EF-323 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 10, 2021 I’d like to note the following substitutions for the record: Title: Wednesday, March 10, 2021 ef Member Rod Loyola as deputy chair for Ms Goehring, Mr. Turton [Mr. Neudorf in the chair] for Mr. Reid, Mr. Toor for Mr. Barnes, and Mrs. Pitt for Mr. van Dijken. Ministry of Labour and Immigration Before we begin, I would note that in accordance with the Consideration of Main Estimates recommendations from the chief medical officer of health, attendees at today’s meeting are advised to leave the appropriate The Chair: I would like to call the meeting to order and welcome distance between themselves and other meeting participants. In everyone. The committee has under consideration the estimates of addition, as indicated in the February 25, 2021, memo from the hon. the Ministry of Labour and Immigration for the fiscal year ending Speaker Cooper, I would remind everyone of committee room March 31, 2022. protocols in line with health guidelines, which require members to I’d ask that we go around the table and have members introduce wear masks in committee rooms and while seated except when themselves for the record. My name is Nathan Neudorf, the MLA speaking, at which time they may choose not to wear a face for Lethbridge-East and the chair of this committee. We will begin covering. starting to my right. A few housekeeping items to address before we turn to the business at hand. Please note that the microphones are operated by Ms Rosin: Miranda Rosin, MLA for Banff-Kananaskis. Hansard staff. Committee proceedings are being live streamed on Mr. Turton: Evening, everyone. Searle Turton, MLA for Spruce the Internet and broadcast on Alberta Assembly TV. The audio- and Grove-Stony Plain. videostream and transcripts of meetings can be accessed via the Legislative Assembly website. Those participating virtually are Ms Armstrong-Homeniuk: Good evening. Jackie Armstrong- asked to turn on their camera while speaking and please mute their Homeniuk, MLA, Fort Saskatchewan-Vegreville. microphone when not speaking. To be placed on the speakers list, virtual participants should e-mail or send a message in the group Ms Gray: Christina Gray, MLA for Edmonton-Mill Woods. chat to the committee clerk, and members in the room are asked to please wave or otherwise signal to the chair. Please set your Mr. Nielsen: Good evening, everyone. Chris Nielsen, MLA for cellphones and other devices to silent for the duration of the Edmonton-Decore. meeting. The Chair: Thank you very much. Now we’ll go to the members Speaking rotation and time limits. Hon. members, the standing participating virtually. When I call your name, please introduce orders set out the process for consideration of the main estimates. yourself for the record. Mrs. Pitt. A total of three hours has been scheduled for consideration of the estimates for the Ministry of Labour and Immigration. Standing Mrs. Pitt: Angela Pitt, MLA, Airdrie-East. Order 59.01(6) establishes the speaking rotation and speaking times. In brief, the minister or member of Executive Council acting The Chair: Mr. Rowswell. on the minister’s behalf will have 10 minutes to address the committee. At the conclusion of his comments a 60-minute Mr. Rowswell: Garth Rowswell, MLA, Vermilion-Lloydminster- speaking block for the Official Opposition begins, followed by a Wainwright. 20-minute speaking block for independent members, if any, and The Chair: Mr. Walker. then a 20-minute speaking block for the government caucus. Individuals may only speak for up to 10 minutes at a time, but time Mr. Walker: Good evening. Jordan Walker, MLA, Sherwood may be combined between the member and the minister. The Park. rotation of speaking time will then follow the same rotation of the Official Opposition, independent members, and the government The Chair: Mr. Loyola. caucus, with individual speaking times set to five minutes for both the member and the ministry. These times may be combined, Member Loyola: Good evening, everybody. Rod Loyola, MLA for making it a 10-minute block. Edmonton-Ellerslie. One final note. Please remember that discussion should flow through the chair at all times regardless of whether or not speaking The Chair: Thank you very much. times are combined. If members have any questions regarding Due to the current landscape we are in, all ministry staff will be speaking times or the rotation, please feel free to send an e-mail or participating in the estimates debate virtually. Minister, please message to the committee clerk about the process. introduce yourself, and I would ask you to also introduce the With the concurrence of the committee I will call a five-minute officials around your table. If they are called on to speak, would break near the midpoint of the meeting; however, the three-hour they please introduce themselves at that time for the record. clock will continue to run. Does anyone oppose having a break? Mr. Copping: Thank you, Chair. Jason Copping, Minister of Seeing none, we will establish that break time nearer to the time Labour and Immigration, MLA for Calgary-Varsity. With me I that it happens. have Shawn McLeod, deputy minister; Sonya Johnston, assistant Ministry officials at the direction of the minister may address the deputy minister, financial services; Michele Evans, assistant deputy committee. Ministry officials are asked to please introduce minister, workforce strategies; Lenore Neudorf, assistant deputy themselves for the record prior to commenting. Space permitting, minister, strategy and policy; Myles Morris, assistant deputy opposition caucus staff may sit, appropriately distanced, at the table minister, safe, fair, and healthy workplaces; and Andre Rivest, to assist their members; however, members have priority to sit at acting executive director, financial services. the table at all times. If debate is exhausted prior to three hours, the ministry’s The Chair: Thank you very much. For the record, Ms Neudorf is estimates are deemed to have been considered for the time allotted my favourite. in the schedule, and the committee will adjourn. Points of order will EF-324 Alberta’s Economic Future March 10, 2021 be dealt with as they arise; however, the speaking block time and approximately $108 million was provided to over 94,000 Albertans, the overall three-hour meeting clock will continue to run. and $64 million was attributed to the ’20-21 fiscal year. Any written material provided in response to questions raised The second such program is the Workers’ Compensation Board during the main estimates should be tabled by the ministry in the premium support. It was a temporary program that waived 50 per Assembly for the benefit of all members. cent of 2020 Workers’ Compensation Board premiums for small The vote on the estimates and any amendments will occur in and medium-sized private-sector employers. This is forecasted to Committee of Supply on March 17, 2021. Amendments must be in be a $280 million program, which provided financial flexibility and writing and approved by Parliamentary Counsel prior to the support when businesses needed it the most. Just under $210 meeting at which they are to be moved. The original amendment is million was allocated for this fiscal year. This helped provide to be deposited with the committee clerk, and as a courtesy an immediate relief to more than 180,000 medium-sized private-sector electronic version of the signed original should be provided to the businesses. meeting clerk for distribution to committee members. 7:10 I will now invite the Minister of Labour and Immigration to begin Finally, the critical worker benefit program. Recently I was with his opening remarks. You have 10 minutes. And I will try to happy to join the Premier to announce this program, which indicate – because of the virtual access at one minute I will raise recognizes more than 300,000 critical workers for their work during my hand so that you have some signal of the time.