FREDERICTON, NEW BRUNSWICK--(Marketwired - July 24, 2015) - The Presidents of Canadian Union of Public Employees New Brunswick, PEI, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador responded to the study of Canada's Employment Insurance (EI) system with the following statement:
The Institute for Research on Public Policy (IRPP) study is correct in saying that EI needs fixing, but ignores the realities of regional economics and fails to offer solutions that meet the needs of all Canadians.
The study, released yesterday, concludes that EI "is failing to meet the needs of working Canadians, and policy-makers are not addressing the problem".
That's certainly true. Due to decades of mismanagement under successive Liberal and Conservative federal governments, EI is not meeting the needs of many workers, particularly those who work in seasonal industries such as fishing. Those governments have also continually dipped into the EI fund, removing resources that should have been available to the workers who paid for them.
However, removing regional eligibility rules from EI will hurt seasonal workers more and unfairly impact communities on the East Coast. For instance, returning to one zone in PEI is extremely important for urban workers who are currently disadvantaged because of a recent political decision to divide the Island into a two-zone system."
CUPE has offered the Conservative government better solutions to fix EI, but Stephen Harper has shown he doesn't care about unemployed workers.
CUPE's solutions include:
As the economy under the Harper government slows into a possible recession, Canadians need the critical "safety net" systems they've been paying for. It is time we elect a federal government that is willing to fix EI and protect Canada's most vulnerable workers.
Contact Information: