Bulletin
2025 Elections | Employment Insurance: a safety net that lets too many people fall through

ARTICLE SUMMARY: You work, you lose your job… and you get nothing? Employment Insurance is supposed to help when you lose your job. Yet thousands of people who’ve paid into it their whole lives are told “no” when they need it most. It’s time for that to change.

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You work hard. You pay your taxes. You contribute to EI with every paycheck. Then one day, you lose your job… and surprise: you don’t get a cent. That’s the kind of injustice over 60% of workers in this country are still facing. Why? Because the rules are designed to exclude.

Because some jobs are considered “ineligible.” Because if you work part-time, if you’re seasonal, if you’ve taken time off, if you’re a woman returning from maternity leave… you fall through the cracks. And yet, we all pay into the same system.

A long-overdue reform

For years, unions have been calling for real change to Employment Insurance. Not just small fixes, a real overhaul that reflects the realities of today’s workforce.

But the government keeps dragging its feet. And the Conservative Party? They want to cut, not expand.

The result: an outdated, unfair system that abandons people when they need it most.

Why this matters to us 

1. Because no one is safe from a layoff, an injury, or a contract that suddenly ends.
2. Because a strong EI system is the backbone of a real safety net for everyone.
3. And because we’re living in hard times.

When public services are crumbling, rent is skyrocketing, and groceries cost more than ever… losing a paycheck without support isn’t an option.

What we expect from the next government:

• Broader access, for all types of work
• Benefits that allow people to live in dignity
• Protections that match today’s world, not the 1990s
• A government that stops cutting in the name of “savings”
  

Position des différents partis sur cet enjeux :  

Légende :

Employment Insurance is not a privilege. It’s a right.
A right we’ve paid for.
And it’s a voting issue.

Voting means being heard 

We often hear people say, “Voting doesn’t change anything.” But the truth is, government decisions have a real impact on our lives, on our wages, our public services, our pensions, our housing, our health… and our union rights.

Not voting means letting others choose for us.
Voting is saying: I want better for myself, my family, my workplace, and my community.

Make sure you’re registered

It’s quick, easy and essential if you want to vote.
Head to elections.ca to:

• Check your registration
• Find out where and when to vote
• See what ID you need to bring
• Register if you haven’t already

And if you know someone who isn’t registered or thinks they don’t have the right to vote, take a moment to share these resources. Every vote counts. Every voice matters.