Social Union Framework Agreement

2001 Mobility Report

Activities of the Government of Manitoba to increase the mobility of Canadians by eliminating residency-based barriers to access in social programs.

Submitted to the Federal-Provincial/Territorial Council on Social Policy Renewal

October 2001

Introduction

On February 4, 1999, Premiers of all provinces and territories (with the exception of Québec) and the Prime Minister of Canada signed A Framework to Improve the Social Union for Canadians, also known as the Social Union Framework Agreement (SUFA).

Section 2 of the SUFA, Mobility within Canada, reflects the commitment of First Ministers to facilitate the mobility of Canadians in pursuing opportunities anywhere in the nation.

Specifically, Section 2 establishes a set of obligations that governments agreed to meet in order to improve the mobility of Canadians:

Governments will ensure that no new barriers to mobility are created in new social policy initiatives.

Governments will eliminate, within three years, any residency-based policies or practices which constrain access to post-secondary education, training, health and social services and social assistance unless they can be demonstrated to be reasonable and consistent with the principles of the Social Union Framework.

Accordingly, sector Ministers will submit annual reports to the Ministerial Council identifying residency-based barriers to access and providing action plans to eliminate them.

Governments are also committed to ensure, by July 1, 2001, full compliance with the mobility provisions of the Agreement on Internal Trade by all entities subject to those provisions, including the requirements for mutual recognition of occupational qualifications and for eliminating residency requirements for access to employment opportunities.

As a signatory to the SUFA, the Manitoba Government must report annually on the efforts it has made in identifying and eliminating residency-based barriers to access in the specified social program areas.

Manitoba's first Mobility Report, submitted in 2000, outlined a detailed process that would be followed to enable the government to meet its commitments under Section 2 of the SUFA. This second annual report summarizes the results of that process and outlines the actions that have been taken to eliminate residency-based barriers to access in Manitoba's social programs.

Results of Manitoba's 2001 Mobility Review

During 2000/01, Manitoba's inter-departmental committee of officials began the review of social programs and policies to identify any residency-based barriers to access. Departments participating in the inter-departmental committee included:

• Aboriginal and Northern Affairs
• Conservation
• Education, Training and Youth
• Executive Council
• Family Services and Housing
• Finance
• Health
• Healthy Child Committee of Cabinet (Healthy Child Manitoba staff)
• Intergovernmental Affairs
• Justice
• Women's Directorate.

The inter-departmental committee reviewed the policies, practices and programs within the social policy areas defined under Section 2 of the SUFA — post secondary education, training, health, social services and social assistance — to determine whether any mobility barriers existed.

The review determined that three provincial training-related programs contained residency-based criteria that restricted access to services or supports. These barriers have now been removed.

1. Post-Secondary Education

   No barriers were identified within provincially-delivered programs. Manitoba will work in conjunction with universities, colleges and other post-secondary education delivery agents to assess whether they apply residency-based policies and practices that inappropriately constrain access to program and services.

2. Training

   The Department of Education and Training identified residency-based barriers within two of its programs:

   • Partners with Youth — The Partners with Youth program was established in order to assist youth in developing job skills. Prior to April 2001, eligible participants had to have lived in Manitoba for eight consecutive months, or they had to have a parent, guardian or spouse who lived in Manitoba.
     
     Currently, program materials continue to list the residency-based criteria; however, the residency requirement is not enforced. The criteria will be removed from all 2002 program materials.
     
     
   • Young Entrepreneurs — The Young Entrepreneurs program provides start-up funds to Manitoba youth who plan to establish a business in Manitoba. Prior to April 2001, eligible youth had to have lived in Manitoba for eight consecutive months or had to have a parent, guardian or spouse who lived in Manitoba. Further, the proposed business had to be located in Manitoba.
     
     Currently, program materials continue to list the residency requirement; however, the criterion is not enforced and references to it will be removed from all 2002 program materials. The program will continue to require that all proposed businesses be based in Manitoba. This is not considered to be a barrier to access, and, as the intent of the program is to encourage local economic development, this requirement is considered reasonable.
     
     
   The Women's Directorate identified one program containing a residency-based barrier:
   
   
   • The Training for Tomorrow Scholarship Fund — This Fund provides fifty scholarships of $1000 each per year to women entering mathematics, science and technology-related courses at community colleges. Prior to April 2001, participants had to have lived in Manitoba for at least three years. The Directorate has now removed the three-year residency requirement, and references to it have been removed from all applications.
     
3. Health

   No residency-based policies or practices were found to constrain access to provincially-delivered programs and services. Manitoba will work in conjunction with health service providers to assess whether they apply residency-based policies and practices that inappropriately constrain access to program and services.

4. Social Services and Social Assistance

   No residency-based policies or practices were found in provincially-delivered programs and services that would constrain access. Manitoba will work in conjunction with third-party service providers to assess whether they apply residency-based policies and practices that inappropriately constrain access to program and services.

Labour Mobility under the Agreement on Internal Trade

Chapter 7 of the 1994 Agreement on Internal Trade (AIT) is intended to enable any worker qualified for an occupation in one province or territory to be granted access to employment opportunities in that occupation in any other province or territory. This is of importance to the 15-20 percent of Canadian workers who work in regulated occupations and trades. It means that regulatory bodies across Canada must agree to recognize the qualifications of workers from other jurisdictions and to reconcile differences in occupational standards as much as possible.

In Manitoba, there are 41 regulated occupations, 33 of which are self-regulating and 8 of which are regulated by the Manitoba Government. At this point, 34 (or 83 percent) of these occupations have met their labour mobility commitments or are well on their way to doing so.

The remaining seven occupations continue to work toward meeting the labour mobility provisions of the AIT. The Province continues to work closely with other provinces and territories, the federal government and the occupational regulatory bodies to ensure full compliance.

Conclusion

Since the signing of SUFA in February 1999, the Province of Manitoba has taken seriously its responsibilities to fulfil its obligations under the Labour Mobility provisions of the Agreement. It has undertaken an extensive review of residency-based criteria within its social programs and has acted to remove all barriers to access. Beginning in 2002, Manitoba will extend its review to programs and services delivered through third parties, such as health providers, post-secondary educational institutions, training providers and social service agencies. Manitoba will also continue to work co-operatively with other governments and regulatory bodies to fulfil the objectives of the labour mobility provisions under Chapter 7 of the Agreement on Internal Trade.

In April 2001, Manitoba received a copy of the federal government's 2001 Mobility Report. The federal report does not address the mobility issues faced by First Nations people who move off reserve and who are, therefore, often no longer eligible to access federally-funded programs and services. Manitoba urges the federal government to investigate and eliminate the barriers to mobility that First Nations people face as a result of federal policies.

The Government of Manitoba continues to remain committed to advancing the mobility of all Canadians.

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