Pressure mounts to make changes to EI

A March 5 demonstration outside Service Canada offices in Toronto called for changes to the EI system, joining many others arguing for similar proposals as the recession in Canada deepens. CEIU members, already struggling with an exploding EI workload, participated in the demonstration to boost the call for better treatment for the nation’s unemployed.

The demonstration was sponsored by the Good Jobs Coalition, an alliance of community, labour, social justice, youth and environmental organizations in the Toronto region. The Coalition is calling for the following changes to the EI legislation:

• 360 hours to qualify in all parts of the country;
• Benefits should be at least 60% of best earnings;
• Benefits should last 50 weeks, plus – a further one year extension during this recession.

In the US, the Obama administration has already made improvements to Unemployment Insurance by significantly increasing the duration of claims and topping up benefits as part of its stimulus package. In many European countries, stronger UI systems have been in place for many years. Canada is lagging behind at the very time when the unemployed need support the most.

CEIU Senior Representative Alan Lennon spoke at the March 5 demonstration and pointed to the growing EI workload and delays in payment. In January alone, claim filings in Ontario were up 54% over the previous year, but Service Canada had few additional resources to throw at the problem. “If you want to deliver decent public service, you need the people and tools to do it” he said, “but Service Canada just is not doing what it takes to get on top of this issue.”

The Coalition plans more events in March to press for EI improvements. CEIU Local President Bruce Flannigan helped organize PSAC’s participation in the March 5 event and is expecting even greater support on March 16 and 25. “Our members did well on March 5 and I think they’ll do even better at the next two events” he said, adding “it’s great to see the support we get back from the Coalition around our workload problems. We don’t have the staff to handle the claims and others recognize that.”

CEIU continues to press for a proper staffing plan to meet the escalating claim load. President Jeannette Meunier-McKay is calling for a staffing plan focused on hiring permanent employees rather than a patchwork approach that relies on overtime and efforts at the recruitment of retired EI staff: “We need to bring the right resources to bear on the problem, for the sake of both the public and our members working in EI.”