Press release
A national coalition calls on Prime Minister Carney to overhaul employment insurance

As rising oil prices and an ongoing trade war shake the Canadian economy, the Interprovincial Employment Insurance Alliance, made up of unions and community groups advocating for unemployed workers across Eastern Canada, is calling for a major reform of the employment insurance system and urgent measures to support those left behind, particularly workers in seasonal industries.

A delegation of about twenty representatives from several provinces is in Ottawa today to deliver a clear message to the Minister of Finance: urgent action is needed for our regions. Armed with jars filled with pennies, Alliance members are reminding the government that eliminating the employment insurance “black hole” would cost only… a few cents.

A system that abandons our regions

In Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador, seasonal workers are left without income for several weeks each year due to administrative rules that fail to reflect regional realities. Yet these workers hold jobs that are essential to regional economies, including fishing, fish processing, forestry, construction, tourism, outfitting and wildfire prevention.

The issue is well known: a gap exists between the end of employment insurance benefits and the return to work. This gap is commonly referred to as the “black hole.”

The coalition is calling for a comprehensive reform of the employment insurance system to expand access and better address the realities of seasonal work. In the short term, it is demanding the extension and improvement of the pilot project set to expire in October 2026, which provides five additional weeks of benefits to seasonal workers. The coalition is urging the government not only to maintain this measure, but to make it permanent and extend it to 15 additional weeks.

The Alliance delivers the funds to Minister Champagne

To denounce the government’s inaction on this longstanding issue, the Interprovincial Alliance has collected pennies from employers, workers and residents of affected regions.

“By bringing our pennies to Minister Champagne, we want to remind him that the ‘black hole’ is not a financial problem or an inevitability, but a lack of political will. The additional 15 weeks of benefits for seasonal workers would cost only one cent per $100 of income. So here are the pennies, now we’re waiting for political action,” said Fernand Thibodeau, spokesperson for the Interprovincial Employment Insurance Alliance.

This system continues to leave workers behind

On the ground, the consequences are very real. Seasonal workers and Alliance members came forward to share their experiences with Members of Parliament:

“The current employment insurance system completely fails us. We’re required to work impossible hours to qualify, and our benefits are reduced through unfair calculations. Workers in the fishing industry deserve better,” said Mandy Symonds of the Nova Scotian Seasonal Workers Association.

“We supply the wood, the fish and a major tourist destination in Quebec. We love our work. All we’re asking is to be able to get through the winter with dignity,” added Audrey Boulianne, a seasonal worker in Tadoussac.

“Seasonal workers deserve an employment insurance system that reflects their actual working season and the stability of employment in their region, not constantly fluctuating rates. It is essential to modernize employment insurance and include crisis support measures to protect rural and coastal communities,” said Johan Joensen of the Fish, Food and Allied Workers Union (FFAW-Unifor) in Newfoundland and Labrador.

A necessary reform for all Canadians

“Even as unemployment rises, fewer and fewer workers are covered by employment insurance, even as unemployment rises. The government must address this issue. The CSN welcomes the government’s decision to extend temporary measures to respond to the tariff crisis, including the additional 20 weeks for long-tenured workers, but far too few people qualify. For example, young workers, who are often the first to be laid off, are excluded from this measure,” said David Bergeron-Cyr, Vice-President of the CSN.

“The current system continues to exclude those who need it most. It is time to show the political courage required for a comprehensive reform,” added Olivier Carrière, Secretary General of the FTQ.

For the Alliance, the issue goes far beyond employment insurance. It concerns the future of entire regions. Without action, organizations warn, rural and coastal communities will continue to decline, weakening key sectors of the Canadian economy. Today, with their pennies, workers are sending a clear message to the government: the solutions exist, they are affordable, and what is missing is political will.