OTTAWA – Today in Question Period, Irene Mathyssen (London-Fanshawe) demanded that Minister Diane Finley own up to the slap in the face she delivered to hard-working Canadians who have been laid off due to no fault of their own.

Minister Finley’s recent comments suggesting Employment Insurance makes it “lucrative” for Canadians to stay without work demonstrates the contempt this Conservative government has for Canadians who access EI.

“This Minister has insulted hard-working Londoners. The six hundred families who just lost their jobs at Electro-Motive Diesel still have to put food on the table for their kids,” said Mathyssen.

“These families want to work, want a pay cheque, but when they are laid off they need to access the benefits to which they contributed in order to make ends meet.”

Adding insult to injury, today Minister Finley again demonstrated how out of touch she is with the hard economic reality facing many Canadians, stating “across this country there are still many job openings, in fact companies cannot find enough people to fill those jobs.”

“Is the Minister really suggesting that people simply are not looking hard enough for jobs? She should be embarrassed by her behaviour and apologize to hard-working Canadians in my riding, and across the country, immediately,” said Mathyssen.