As Parliament new session begins in Ottawa, the National Council of Unemployed Workers (NCUW) is launching new campaign, Reforming Employment Insurance: an empty promise? asking whether the government intends to follow through on its commitment to reform Employment Insurance to make it fairer, more modern, and more equitable.
There were consultations, over a full year. Then we were told that the EI reform plan would be implemented in the summer of 2022. And then we were told about the fall, only to have the announcement delayed until December and then February 2023.
This has gone on long enough! Now is time for EI reform!
Does the government have the courage to go ahead?
TAKE A LOOK AT PROMISES THAT STILL NEED TO BE KEPT
| Promises | Sources |
| Present and implement a plan to modernize the Employment Insurance Program for the 21st Century | Mandate Letter (November 2015) Mandate Letter (September 2016) Mandate Letter (January 2021) Plateform 2021 (Introduction/p.21) Mandate Letter (December 2021) |
| Introduce a new EI benefit for self-employed Canadians | Speech from the Throne 2020 Mandate Letter (January 2021) Platform 2021 (p.21) Mandate Letter (December 2021) |
| Improve the current pilot project and introduce a permanent program for seasonal workers | Platform 2019 (p.13) Mandate Letter (December 2019) |
| Create for 2021 a new Employment Insurance Disaster Assistance Benefit | Platform 2019 (p.30) Mandate Letter (December 2019) |
Our priorities for EI Reform:
The expansion of coverage, to sectors of society which are currently excluded from EI, primarily self-employed workers, but also those who are poorly protected: part-time and seasonal workers, and Indigenous communities. Extending coverage also means easing the overly severe penalties and sanctions for dismissal or resignation. One in four applicants, who has worked and contributed to EI is excluded because of these policies.
Improving protections: raising the rate and extending the period of benefits, modifying the calculation method, and seeking to simplify the application of this program by introducing simpler universal rules, because this program has become unnecessarily complex.