Building a New Unemployment Insurance System

Among other things, COVID-19 put a spotlight on long-standing shortcomings of Canada’s EI system. Good Jobs for All’s EI Working Group worked hard to address the immediate needs of workers affected by the health and economic crisis (see April 13 and March 9 postings).

Now, the Working Group has identified proposals for rebuilding EI in the immediate and longer term. These include:

• Waiving qualifying hours
• Eliminating disqualification for those who quit “voluntarily” during the pandemic
• Adjusting Work Sharing as a tool for a phased return to work
• EI and EI-CERB costs must be assigned to general revenues, not EI
• Many more elements

Please read Building a New Unemployment Insurance System for details.

Support the call for change! Write to your MP; the Hon. Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion; and to the Hon. Chrystia Freeland, Chair, Cabinet Committee on the federal response to the coronavirus (COVID-19).