Conservatives to unemployed: No transportation? Go on provincial welfare!

2013 started off with the Prime Minister tweeting his pleasure over the new changes to Employment Insurance* stating “Our govt is making changes to help connect unemployed Cdns with jobs”.

Since the New Year, Conservatives have been trying to spin these new changes as a positive step:

“This has nothing to do with trying to move people to new locations. This has everything to do with providing someone a great job in their local area.”
– Kellie Leitch, Parliamentary secretary to the Human Resources Minister (CBC World report, January 7, 2013)

In reality, Conservative changes to EI have restricted access to employment insurance; punished seasonal workers and seasonal industries; and pushed more unemployed Canadians onto provincial welfare programs.

Now we see the results of Conservative mismanagement of EI.

A 30 year-old recently unemployed single mother on PEI has now been cut off from EI – and was told to apply for provincial welfare. Despite not having a car or a viable public transit option, she was denied further assistance because she can’t travel to Charlottetown to work.

Conservatives are dismantling Canada’s Employment Insurance program and reducing benefits – and fewer Canadians than ever qualify. And it seems Stephen Harper and his Conservatives just couldn’t be happier about these changes.

Canadians deserve better.

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• LONGER COMMUTES:

9.002 (d):

“the daily commuting time to or from the place of work is not greater than one hour or, if it is greater than one hour, it does not exceed the claimant’s daily commuting time to or from their place of work during the qualifying period or is not uncommon given the place where the claimant resides, and commuting time is assessed by reference to the modes of commute commonly used in the place where the claimant resides”