Set transparent service standards for the delivery of Employment Insurance (EI) benefits.

What success looks like

Canadians making inquiries about Employment Insurance (EI) will receive answers more quickly, consistent with new, higher service standards.

Government's narrative on progress

As a result of Budget 2016 investments ($73 million), the EI Call Centre network significantly increased its capacity and improved its service accessibility. Building on these investments, Budget 2018 provided an additional $127.7 million over three years to further improve accessibility and ensure Canadians receive timely and accurate information and assistance with Employment Insurance (EI) benefits. In May 2016, the government launched the EI Service Quality Review (SQR). The SQR sought input from stakeholders and Canadians on ways Service Canada could improve the quality of EI services on the phone, online and in person. The final report provided ten recommendations on how to make EI service delivery more responsive to the needs of Canadians. Service Canada used this input to review EI service standards, which was completed in March 2018. In 2017-18, the government consulted with Canadians as part of reviews of the EI, Old Age Security (OAS) and Canada Pension Plan (CPP) service standards. The reviews found that current service standards meet Canadian’s expectations, but that information should be easier to find and read. These findings are informing future work on service standards. Budget 2019 provided funding to migrate Employment and Social Development Canada’s call centres, including the EI Specialized Call Centre, from outdated IT platforms to the Hosted Contact Centre Solution. This will help to ensure faster and better quality service to Canadians.

Note: this is the government's own description, not an independent assessment.