An inaccessible and inadequate EI program is another disaster for workers who need access to EI now

BY PAUL JUNOR

As Canada continues to recover from the: economic, social, political, and financial effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, Justice for Workers is concerned about the expiration of temporary measures that provided improved access to EI and has launched a petition to, “Stop the September 24^th EI benefit cliff! Fix Employment Insurance NOW!” The petition outlines important details about why access was improved in the first place and what are some of the possible consequences of its impending removal.

The challenges and struggles that Canadians faced at the outset of the pandemic were real and harmful. The petition notes, “The federal government relaxed EI eligibility to improve access to emergency support for those most in need. Without these supports, it would have been much worse for workers and their families due to the COVID closures, lockdowns and layoffs.” Data from Statistics Canada, which can be seen on its website;

https://www.150.statscan.gc.ca/ highlights the positive effects for Canadians with improved access to EI.

The petition reveals some of the possible fallouts from the removal of extra EI benefits. The petition states, “It’s urgent we extend the recovery measures as a bridge to permanent EI improvements. Workers will otherwise face a huge jump in the current minimum of 420 qualifying hours for both Regular and Special Benefits (parental, sickness, etc), and the allocation /claw back of separation payments. Women, workers of colour, and others in precarious jobs are at particular risk.”

J4W is concerned that an inaccessible and inadequate EI program is another disaster for workers who need access to EI now when the next crisis hits. It is calling on the federal government to immediately ensure that transitory EI measures continue. The petition asked that the following permanent measures be implemented:

• Expand EI access:

–        A 360-hour or 12-week qualifying rule for 50 weeks of income support

–        An end to harsh disqualification rules

–        Ensure migrant workers have access to EI

–        End misclassification, a practice where employers falsely label their employees as self-employed independent contractors to avoid paying their fair share of EI and CPP

• Improve the weekly benefit rate and include a guaranteed weekly minimum
• Fund a new, annual federal government contribution to EI to help pay for improvements, provide adequate staffing with fair pay, and ensure EI acts as an effective economic stabilizer at times of crisis.

The Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) issued a call for a Canada-wide Twitter storm on Saturday, September 24^th, 2022 between 8:00 am – 8:00 pm to draw attention to this urgent issue. It asked individuals to sign and share the petition from Justice for Workers and tweet@JustinTrudeau: Fix # EmploymentInsurance now! Extend the Recovery Measures. Expand #EI access. Improve the weekly benefit. Fund a new, annual federal government contribution.