Glossary of Terms

Administrative tribunal
Tribunal to which a law gives specific and limited jurisdiction. It generally operates more informally than would a court of justice.

Advocacy groups
Volunteer or non-profit organization which provides individuals or groups with advice, assistance or representation.

Appeal docket
The appeal docket contains all the documents used to make a decision in a claim for benefits, such as copies of the claim and all the evidence gathered by HRSDC.
It also contains HRSDC's written reasons for the decision on that claim.

Appellant
Client who uses the appeal system provided by the Employment Insurance Act.

Board of Referees
The Board of Referees is an administrative tribunal that is independent of HRSDC and not part of HRSDC. It is composed of three members: a chairperson appointed by the Governor-in-Council and two members appointed by the Commissioner for Employers and the Commissioner for Workers from panels they established following consultations with their respective employer associations and central labour bodies. This tribunal must remain impartial, and its decisions are based on consideration of all evidence in the file and testimony received at the hearing, in accordance with the requirements of the Employment Insurance legislation and jurisprudence.

Chairperson
As a member of the Board of Referees, the Chairperson has essentially the same role as the two other members. However, the Chairperson also oversees the procedure. His role is to ensure that all the parties at the hearing have an opportunity to present their version of the facts and that the Board members have had the opportunity to ask all their questions. The Chairperson also has the responsibility to write the decision.

CUB
Canadian Umpire Benefits: Decisions of the Umpire relating to the Unemployment Insurance Act and the Employment Insurance Act. CUB's form the jurisprudence on which the parties rely to render decisions. The first CUB was published on October 16, 1942.

Disentitlement
Non-payment of benefits for an entire day.

Disqualification
Non-payment of benefits for an entire week.

Employment Insurance information toll-free number
Toll-free automated telephone service that provides many forms of information, general to the program or specific to your case. If the information required is not available in the automated service, you will be able to speak to an HRSDC representative during normal business hours.

Evidence
Verbal, written or electronic information that establishes a fact. The information obtained is called evidence.

Hearing
Opportunity to be heard, to present one's side of a case.

HRCC (Human Ressources Centre of Canada)
Local office of Human Ressources Development of Canada where different products and services are offered and given in person. Not all of HRSDC's services are offered at every office. To know if your local HRSDC office offers the service you are looking for, it is preferable to call first.

Impartial
Without taking sides, in a neutral way.

Jurisdiction
Extent of your powers; power to judge or to decide on certain specific questions.

Jurisprudence
The whole of the decisions of a tribunal and the principles or rules that emerge.

Late appeal
Appeal to the Board of Referees made more than 30 days after the decision made by HRSDC was received.
Appeal to the Umpire made more than 60 days after the decision made by the Board of Referees was received.

Office of the Umpire
Office that deals with appeals to the Umpire from a decision made by a Board of Referees. The Office of the Umpire makes sure that the appeal docket is complete, advises the interested parties of the hearing, and publishes the Umpire decision (CUB). The Office gives administrative support to Umpires during the hearings and for cases not requiring a hearing.

Umpire
The Umpire examines a decision of a Board of Referees once an appeal is lodged. Umpires may be either judges of the Federal Court of Canada or judges from a provincial jurisdiction. They may also be retired judges.