Canada Gazette Roundup: Your Guide to New EI Rules, Steel Tariffs, and the Canada Learning Bond
This week's official government decisions, broken down into plain English. Let's get you informed! 🇨🇦
Hello, fellow Canadians! 🇨🇦
Ready for a straightforward look at what your government has been formalizing? The Canada Gazette is where the government's official decisions get published, and we've sifted through the latest issue to bring you the highlights—no jargon, no spin, just the facts.
This week, we're looking at significant moves on Employment Insurance, new protections for Canada's steel industry, and a big change to help families save for their kids' education. Let's dive in!
Big News for Canadian Workers: EI Measures Extended
The government is extending a temporary measure designed to help workers access Employment Insurance benefits more easily. This is part of EI Pilot Project No. 24, which was created in response to economic uncertainty and the threat of foreign tariffs.
The amendment specifically extends the period for a temporary upward adjustment to regional EI unemployment rates. Originally set to end on July 12, 2025, this measure will now continue until October 11, 2025.
So, what does this actually mean for you? Think of the regional unemployment rate as a key that unlocks EI benefits—the higher the rate, the easier it is to qualify. By temporarily deeming this rate to be higher, the government makes it easier for people to get support.
Here’s a direct quote from the official analysis on why this is happening:
Given ongoing economic uncertainty caused by the imposition and announcement of foreign tariffs, the unemployment rate measure in Pilot Project No. 24 is being extended to continue to test the outcomes of applying this EI measure to respond to the employment impacts of major changes in economic conditions and to continue to provide reliable and timely support to workers affected by the tariffs.
Key Impacts for Claimants until October 11, 2025:
Easier to Qualify: Claimants will need no more than 630 hours of insurable employment to qualify for regular benefits, compared to a maximum of 700 hours normally.
More Weeks of Benefits: Claimants could get up to four additional weeks of regular benefits.
Fishing Benefits: The earnings needed to qualify for fishing benefits will be no more than $3,800, down from a maximum of $4,200.
Higher Benefit Rate: Some claimants may see a higher weekly benefit rate because it will be calculated using a maximum of their 20 best weeks of earnings, instead of up to 22.
The government estimates this three-month extension will provide an additional $229.4 million in benefits to claimants, helping an estimated 8,400 people who otherwise wouldn't have qualified and providing extra weeks or higher payments to hundreds of thousands more.
A Helping Hand for Your Child's Education 🎓
The government is moving forward with a plan to automatically enroll eligible children in the Canada Learning Bond (CLB).
The CLB is a federal program that deposits money directly into a Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP) for children from low-income families to help them save for education after high school. Eligible children can receive up to $2,000.
The problem? In 2023, almost 20 years after the program started, only 43.1% of eligible children had received the Bond. Families often face barriers to opening an RESP and applying for the Bond.
To fix this, the government is bringing into force legislative changes from the Budget Implementation Act, 2024, No. 1 that will allow the Minister of Employment and Social Development to automatically:
Notify a primary caregiver that their child is eligible for the Bond.
Open an RESP for the child if the family doesn't open one themselves.
Deposit the Bond into that RESP.
Here’s the timeline:
Starting November 2024: Caregivers of newly eligible children began receiving letters notifying them of their child's eligibility.
Fall 2025: Information will be sent out explaining how caregivers can opt out of having the government automatically open an RESP if they prefer.
2028: The government intends to open the first RESPs under this new automatic system for eligible children born in 2024 and later.
This change aims to ensure that more children from low-income families get a head start on saving for their future.
Trade & Tariffs: Protecting Canada's Steel Industry 🏗️
The government has rolled out new measures to protect the Canadian steel industry from what it describes as a "significant risk of trade diversion".
Think of a tariff as a 'border toll' on certain goods. In response to the United States increasing its tariffs on steel, there's a risk that steel from other countries will be diverted and flood the Canadian market, hurting local producers and jobs.
To manage this, Canada is implementing a Tariff Rate Quota (TRQ) on a wide range of steel products for one year. A TRQ is like a limited-time, limited-quantity deal. A certain amount of steel can be imported without an extra toll, but once that limit is reached, a heavy surtax applies.
Here’s how it works:
A 50% surtax will be applied to certain steel imports that exceed a set quarterly quota.
The quota is based on 100% of 2024 import levels, which is intended to maintain historical trade volumes while protecting against a sudden surge.
These rules apply to imports from most countries, but there are exceptions.
Exempted Countries: Goods originating from Canada's free-trade partners are not subject to the surtax. This includes the United States, Mexico, Chile, Israel, and countries in the European Union, among others .
This measure comes into force on June 27, 2025, and will be repealed one year later.
Government Housekeeping: Ministerial Updates
Finally, a few quick administrative updates to assign official responsibilities:
The Minister of Transport is now formally designated as the minister responsible for the Free Trade and Labour Mobility in Canada Act.
The President of the King's Privy Council for Canada is designated as the minister responsible for the Building Canada Act.
The Department of Industry is now designated to provide official support to the Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation.
These decisions touch on everything from individual financial support to national industry and international trade. Which of these updates from the Canada Gazette is most relevant to you and your community? Share your thoughts below!