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December 4th, 2018

EI "Black Hole": NDP calls on Liberals to act

OTTAWA – On Tuesday, NDP Parliamentary Leader Guy Caron, NDP Critic for Jobs, Employment, Precarious Work and Workforce Development, Niki Ashton, and NDP Critic for Families, Children and Social Development, Brigitte Sansoucy, asked the Liberal government to help seasonal workers in Quebec and New Brunswick affected by the "black hole" of employment insurance.

"It is unacceptable that the Liberal government refuses to listen to the unemployed," said Ashton. "The system in place does not work. Workers in seasonal industries can not bridge the gap between seasons. We also know that the thresholds of hours needed to access employment insurance benefits differ from one region to another, which makes no sense at all."

New Democrat MPs joined a coalition of workers from the defense of the unemployed movement and CSN activists on Parliament Hill to send their message to the government. The NDP has been asking for a long time that the threshold of hours to access EI be reduced to 360 hours across the country, and calls on the government to finally put words into action.

"Too often, workers in rural regions live a reality that the Ottawa government does not understand," said Caron. "Instead of listening to honest citizens who are suffering from the 'black hole' of employment insurance and who need support, the Liberal government has chosen to offer tax giveaways to big business. That says a lot about this government’s priorities."