Training Program for Employment Insurance Board of Referees

1. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

In view of the complexity of the employment insurance legislation and jurisprudence, the Commission has always had a policy of holding initial and continuing Board of Referees information sessions aimed at providing Board members with the most current information on issues involving the Act, the Regulations and the jurisprudence.

Members of Boards of Referees have, however, informed us that they were not adequately equipped to fulfill their role as members of a quasi-judicial tribunal. The Commission therefore had to revisit its policy.

To identify the training needs of Boards of Referees members, an independent firm specializing in training, was hired by the Commission to run focus groups throughout the country. The focus groups resulted in the following recommendations: (1) training must be consistent for all participants; (2) it must be continuous, and better suited to the needs of participants in terms of content, frequency and teaching methods; (3) the training must be objective, and it would be preferable to entrust some aspects to external partners; and finally, (4) the following topics must be considered: how to conduct a hearing, writing the decision and the jurisprudence.

A group consisting of the Commissioner for workers, the Commissioner for employers and ten Board of Referees members (chairpersons, employer and employee members) was put in place to use their experience in order to oversee the development and reform of the training program for members of Boards of Referees.

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