OTTAWA –Minister Diane Finley’s comments demonstrate the contempt this Conservative government has for Canadians who access Employment Insurance.

“The Conservatives are saying that if you are unemployed, it’s your own fault and we don’t want to support you in making ends meet, even though you paid into the system just like everyone else,” said Malcolm Allen (Welland).

The Conservative government, supported by the Liberals, claims that the $447 maximum weekly payment an individual can receive on EI is “lucrative”.

“It is very disheartening to me and I think to most Canadians, that the Liberals who themselves closed the doors on eligibility for Employment Insurance 15 years ago, are again siding with the Conservatives on not expanding eligibility and dropping the waiting period,” said Allen.

Allen points out that only 54 percent of the unemployed are eligible for EI under the current rules and nothing in this Conservative and Liberal budget is going to change that.