“We have been informed of the measures announced by the Prime Minister’s Office regarding employment insurance (EI) in the context of the ongoing trade war with the United States.
First, the extension of measures suspending the waiting period and rules surrounding the processing of severance pay until April 2026 is good news that should be highlighted. Once again, we must consider making these measures permanent once and for all.
Second, while the introduction of additional weeks of EI benefits for “long-tenured workers” may provide support to workers in certain sectors of the economy, it leaves thousands of others behind by reviving a discriminatory measure from the Harper era. By targeting “long-tenured workers,” an artificial and unfair division is created among workers. By not extending the measure that allows for expanded eligibility for EI in the current context of economic instability, the government is putting precarious workers in a vulnerable position and does not seem to realize that the crisis does not only affect people who have had jobs for several years.
Rather than dividing workers into arbitrary categories, Mark Carney should consider improving the employment insurance program to provide all workers with real protection in the event of unemployment, regardless of any economic storms that may arise. As unemployment rates continue to climb, there is cause for concern, especially given the Carney government’s repeated flip-flops on the United States. In the face of crisis and instability, we must not leave anyone behind.”