Employment Insurance

Federal cabinet ministers will soon decide whether and how to reform the oft-maligned tribunal Canadians use to appeal federal benefits rulings, potentially undoing changes made six years ago intended to make it work better.

Hugo Hernan Ruiz, a 42-year-old systems engineer from Colombia, has a master's degree in his field and ran the IT department of an oil company in his home country.

The Trudeau government has been given an ambitious plan for closing several gaps in the social-safety net for ill and unemployed Canadians that includes creating a new program to help those whose employment insurance or sickness benefits are about to run out.

Ottawa has announced $189 million for an employment insurance pilot project that provides seasonal workers with up to five more weeks of benefits.

Democratic Institutions Minister Karina Gould is about to become the first federal cabinet minister in history to take a maternity leave.

Canada's problematic social security tribunal is in for an overhaul, with a renewed focus on serving the people who challenge federal benefit decisions instead of making them jump through administrative hoops.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the government has no intention of stifling growth for small businesses and start-ups with its upcoming changes to the tax code.

Labour Minister Patty Hajdu said even wealthier women need more support when it comes to moving from their careers into motherhood — and back again.