So it would seem that the Government of Canada are going to establish an expert panel to consult Canadians on how best to provide the self-employed with access
to maternity and parental benefits under the Employment Insurance (EI)
program.  The first press release on this seems to have come out on March 24, 2009.  In addition, there is a full promotional page devoted to this item on Canada's Economic Action Plan website. 

• I am interested to know who the experts are on this panel.
• Have they been appointed yet? 
• What is the timeline for their work? 
• Are there any terms of reference established for this panel yet? 
• Will there be a report issued?

I have looked all over the internet for at least 15 minutes now and can find no additional "action" anywhere on this item.  So I find myself wondering if the Federal Government is really acting at all on this issue?

It seems that the Conservatives had a lot of this already figured out prior to the election:

• The system will be voluntary.  Self-employed Canadians will be
  able to opt in to EI premiums and, in return, will be able to receive
  maternity and parental benefits.
• Self-employed Canadians
  will have access to the same type of maternity and parental benefits
  available to regular EI participants.
• Self-employed entrepreneurs will be required to opt-in to EI premiums at least six months prior to making a claim.
• Exact
  premium amounts and required payments post-claim will be set upon
  implementation, following a review by the newly created Canada
  Employment Insurance Financing Board.

If this is the case; why do we now need to consult with Canadians on this issue?

It might help the Government to know that this issue has been studied several times already. 

Here are a few resources from The
Centre for Families Work & Well-being at the University of Guelph

• Self-employment for Women:
  Policy Options that Promote Equality and Economic Opportunities.
  (Rooney, Lero, Korabik & Whitehead). Funder: Status of Women
  Canada's Policy Research Fund. Executive Summary Contact: dlero@uoguelph.ca
• Evaluation of Parental Leave Benefitis: Impacts
  of Canada's extended leave policy for women, families, children and
  employers: Analysis of factors affecting fathers' use of parental leave
  and benefits (Lero). funder: Human Resources Development Canada through
  ARC. Contact dlero@uoguelph.ca

The Advisory Council on the Status of Women have also studied this issue. In 2004 they released a Policy Guide on Maternity and Parental Benefits.

The Canadian Council on Social Development called for action on this issue in the Spring of 2000. 

"To address the growing number of self-employed women and the dropping
birth rate, the federal government should not only consider extending
the duration of parental leave, it should also consider extending
access to such benefits to include workers who are most in need,
particularly self-employed women."

Here is a blog posting from the Straight.com earlier this year on the lack of real action on this.

“Why do they need to ask me?” Brewin said of the consultations. “It
seems like the right thing to do. They need to spend money on
consultation on that? Lord.”

I couldn't have said it better myself.  This issue is old news…it's time to actually do something about it…other than talk!!!!