Legere’s appointment as member of EI tribunal draws fire

OTTAWA — The Tory cabinet minister who oversaw the Westray mining disaster has been named as one of 33 people who will judge employment insurance appeals.

Leroy Legere was provincial minister of labour for the Progressive Conservatives in the early 1990s. He held the position in the aftermath of the 1992 methane explosion in the Westray mine in Pictou County that killed 26 workers.

The resulting inquiry found that Legere “appeared to have a confused and uncertain appreciation of his role as minister of the Crown.”

He was defeated in the 1993 election.

Legere is generating criticism from old political rivals after being appointed to the federal government’s new Social Security Tribunal, which will handle all EI, Social Security and Canada Pension Plan appeals across Canada.

Previously, those appeals were heard by hundreds of part-time judges who typically met once a month to hear cases.

The list of tribunal members, who were appointed by the federal cabinet, was made public last month.

The new tribunal will have about 74 members earning between $91,800 and $124,500 per year, depending on their positions. Legere is the only Nova Scotian appointed to the tribunal.

Legere’s biography on a government website lists his experience on the previous EI board, and jobs as CEO of the Southwest regional school board and as regional education officer. It makes no mention of his role as a former government minister.

NDP MP Robert Chisholm served in the provincial legislature with Legere in the early 1990s. He said Legere has no business being appointed to the tribunal.

“I don’t think I remember one file that he handled with any kind of competence,” said Chisholm.

“It was a real problem, frankly. His departments were in real chaos, especially around Westray. It was kind of sad to see how badly things were being handled.”

Reached by phone Monday, Legere said he had no comment about Chisholm’s criticisms. He deferred to tribunal communications staff for further information.

A spokeswoman in Human Resources Minister Diane Finley’s office said all tribunal members went through a rigorous selection process.

“They had to meet specific experience and competency criteria required to do the job,” said Alyson Queen.

The government hopes to save $25 million annually under the new system. Finley has said it will also improve the consistency of decisions by having full-time staff handling the appeals.

But opposition politicians have raised concern that the new system could work against citizens who are appealing a denial of EI benefits.

Under the old system, appeals would be heard by a three-member panel made up of a business representative, an employee or union representative and a chairperson appointed by the government.

Chisholm said he worries that the government could stack the deck in its favour by eliminating the employee representative.

Concerns have also been raised about centralizing the tribunal in Ottawa.

NDP MLA Gordie Gosse has represented his Cape Breton Nova constituents in EI appeals for a decade. He said some applicants will be disadvantaged by not being able to plead their case in person.

Finley has said this will not be a problem because the new system will rely more heavily on written submissions and video links.

Last year, over 40,000 EI decisions were appealed.

Murielle Brazeau, previously deputy chief administrator at Courts Administration Services, was named chairwoman of the tribunal.

Original Article
Source: thechronicleherald.ca
Author: PAUL McLEOD