Human Resources, Labour and Employment
December 7, 2009The following statement was given
today in the House of Assembly by the Honourable Susan
Sullivan, Minister of Human Resources, Labour and
Employment:
Ministerial Statement - Labour Market Development Agreement
Will Strengthen Provincial Workforce
I rise today in this Honourable House to provide an
update on the transfer of responsibility of the Labour
Market Development Agreement programs and services from
the Federal Government to the Government of Newfoundland
and Labrador.
Mr. Speaker, on November 2, 2009, the province
officially assumed control for the design and delivery
of EI-funded Employment Benefits and Support Measures
that were formerly delivered by Service Canada. This was
done as per the Canada - Newfoundland and Labrador
Labour Market Development Agreement, or LMDA, which was
signed by the Williams Government in 2008.
This transfer has been a significant milestone in our
continued efforts to develop high quality, responsive
programs to better meet the employment needs of
individuals throughout the province and to support local
labour market and economic development priorities. At $2
billion, the LMDA represents the single largest
investment in labour market programs throughout the
country. Newfoundland and Labrador�s portion of this
funding is $133 million per year.
Mr. Speaker, assuming responsibility for these
programs was indeed a major undertaking from an
administrative perspective. For example, as of November
2, over 75 former federal employees not only transferred
to the provincial Public Service, they also physically
relocated to our offices throughout the province on day
one - a first in the implementation of devolved
agreements across the country. Despite the magnitude of
this undertaking, I am very pleased to report that we
have achieved our goal of a seamless transfer of
services.
Now that this milestone is behind us, we have already
started looking ahead to the opportunities we have
before us to shape a more responsive and integrated
labour market service delivery system. In the
short-term, we will not be making significant changes to
the current suite of programs and services. However, we
will be working to streamline processes where we can.
Our eye now has turned to the longer-term. Together with
business, labour, education and non-profit
organizations, we are working to ensure we have the
programs and services we need to build a strong
provincial workforce, meet upcoming demands of our major
projects and to help us capitalize on emerging
opportunities.
I want to thank everyone who contributed to the
seamless transition of these important employment
programs and services. I look forward to what our
government will achieve through the addition of new
resources and staff to our current complement of HRLE
programs and employees.
2009 12 07 1:50 p.m.