The federal government has appointed labor economist Chris Roberts (pictured) as acting commissioner for workers at the Canada Employment Insurance Commission (CEIC).
The CEIC is mandated under the Employment Insurance Act to administer the Employment Insurance (EI) program, including annually monitoring and assessing the program and overseeing financial transparency and premium rate setting.
Patty Hajdu, minister of Jobs and Families and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario, designated Roberts as acting commissioner for workers, effective April 13, 2026. His term is for 18 months or until a permanent commissioner is appointed.
Roberts succeeds Pierre Laliberté, who is retiring after nearly a decade in the role.
In announcing the designation, Minister Hajdu emphasized the importance of continuity in worker representation on the Commission and thanked the outgoing Commissioner.
“I look forward to working with Mr. Roberts as he begins his tenure as Commissioner, and I extend my sincere appreciation to Commissioner for Workers, Pierre Laliberté for his many years of dedicated service in ensuring the perspectives of Canadian workers were effectively represented within the Employment Insurance program.”
Before his designation, Roberts was national director of the Social and Economic Policy Department at the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC), where he led research and policy work on macroeconomic and labor‑market issues and regulation. He brings more than 20 years of experience as a researcher, professor, and author.
Roberts has also served on several advisory and consultative bodies linked to EI and social security. These include labor advisory committees, the Social Security Tribunal Employment Insurance Appeals Consultative Committee, and the Senate of Canada/CEIC Jobs and Skills Roundtable, giving him first‑hand exposure to how EI rules and administration affect workers in practice.
His appointment maintains continuity in having a Commissioner for Workers closely connected to organized labor and to the policy debates around EI reform.
The EI commissioner for workers and the commissioner for employers are responsible for representing the perspectives of workers and employers within the CEIC.
They are expected to establish and maintain working relationships with private‑sector organizations and individuals that are clients of, or affected by, the EI program. Through these relationships, the commissioners bring external views into internal discussions on how EI legislation is administered, how policy is developed and implemented, and how the program is delivered.
The two commissioners function as key channels into the federal EI machinery, particularly on issues such as eligibility rules, appeals, service standards, and the balance between benefit adequacy and premium costs.
Roberts steps into the role as questions around the EI system continue to surface, including how well it supports workers in non‑standard jobs, how responsive it is to cyclical and sector‑specific shocks, and how premium rates should evolve in light of economic conditions and benefit demands.
EI is a core statutory layer of income protection that interacts with private disability, wage‑loss, and supplemental unemployment products. Changes to EI eligibility, benefit duration, or replacement rates can influence how employers structure group benefits and how insurers design complementary coverage.
