I am writing in response to the aforementioned article and on behalf of a small business in Ottawa called Loving Paws & House Sitting (LP&HS).

The purpose of this response is to try to convince your readers to convince federal Ministers Findley and Ablonczy that a policy change is urgently required for the jobbank.gc.ca website. At issue is a restriction that currently prevents an employer or business from advertising on the site if they are trying to recruit a sub-contractor to work for them. This roadblock has a particularly significant impact on the financial viability of some small employers and businesses, including young entrepreneurs in receipt of start up loans from CYBF.

Let me explain.

I hope you will agree that not all new entrepreneurs or young businesses are in a position to hire employees (meaning someone who will pay into the Employment Insurance program) but that many will come to need people to work for them as their business evolves and grows. There may be myriad reasons why they are not in that position, some of which could include financial concerns or – quite simply – because of the way they operate.

Having said that, respectable new entrepreneurs or young businesses looking to recruit someone who would work for them, but not as an employee, are likely to advertise in newspapers or websites like Monster.ca or Workopolis.ca; however, costs for such are exorbitant – in the thousands of dollars.

One option that could help entrepreneurs or young businesses connect with people is the jobbank.gc.ca website that, in comparison to Monster and Workopolis, offers free ‘help wanted’ postings that reach a wide audience and is extensively used by people looking for work. Unfortunately, Service Canada restricts postings to those who are looking to recruit employees only. This places some new entrepreneurs or young businesses at a considerable financial disadvantage if they are not in a position to hire employees but need help with work and must pay thousands to advertise elsewhere.

It is troubling that, on the one hand, Ottawa is giving $10,000,000 to help CYBF provide loans to young entrepreneurs but, on the other hand, has a policy for the jobbank.gc.ca website that imposes a roadblock and forces some of the loan recipients to pay with other media to find people to work for their businesses when the website is free to so many.

I think it would reflect well on the government and on Service Canada to provide assistance to all businesses, including those who want to hire sub-contractors, and not just to employers wanting to hire employees. This would also help people looking for work, which is not entirely a bad thing given the current status of our economy and jobs.

I would like to think that the focus of Service Canada and the jobbank.gc.ca could be broadened without hardship to Service Canada during these difficult economic times, and that doing so would help employers and businesses connect with people who want and need to work regardless of whether or not those people will work as employees or sub-contractors.

I hope your readers agree.

Thank you for your time.

Erik Lupien
eriklupien@hotmail.com
613-822-0519 (h)
613-948-9756 (w)