On the eve of the Canadian government’s implementation of retaliatory tariffs, organizations advocating for unemployed people, the Conseil national des chômeurs et chômeuses (CNC) and the Mouvement autonome et solidaire des sans-emploi (MASSE), along with Quebec’s major labour federations (QLF, CSD, CSN and CSQ), are outlining their demands for support for workers in the context of the trade war with the United States.
On August 25, the government announced an extension of temporary Employment Insurance (EI) measures and introduced a new measure limiting disqualification for voluntarily leaving a job to the most recent employment. This change had been called for by the organizations and labour federations. They welcomed the announcement but are nevertheless urging the government to strengthen these measures in three ways:
- Establish a universal eligibility requirement of 420 hours, which would simplify access to EI and extend coverage to more workers.
- Extend the additional 20 weeks of EI benefits to all workers for the duration of the trade dispute with the United States. Unlike the current measure, this would ensure that workers in precarious and vulnerable employment are not left behind, including seasonal, contract and part-time workers, young people, newcomers and workers in certain key sectors of the economy.
- Make permanent the measures suspending the waiting period and the rules governing the treatment of separation payments, as well as the measure limiting disqualification for voluntarily leaving a job to the most recent employment.
We also believe that the government should consider permanently adopting our proposals for a universal eligibility requirement and additional weeks of benefits.
“The temporary Employment Insurance measures announced last week by the Carney government are welcome, but they do not address the worrying rise in long-term unemployment. Why is the government extending the duration of benefits only for so-called long-tenured workers when, under the current circumstances, it is necessary to include all workers, particularly young people and those who have already experienced periods of unemployment in recent years?” ask Luc Vachon, President of the CSD; Caroline Senneville, President of the CSN; Pascal Côté, Third Vice-President of the CSQ; and Olivier Carrière, Secretary General of the FTQ, in a joint statement.
“Since 2020, workers have faced a succession of difficult economic periods, including the public health crisis, numerous wildfires that have devastated entire communities, and a prolonged trade war with the United States, resulting in severe economic instability,” said Milan Bernard and Selma Lavoie of the Conseil national des chômeurs et chômeuses. “The Employment Insurance program must adapt to respond effectively to these crises. The federal government must therefore act now to strengthen this crucial component of Canada’s social safety net.”
“The economic and political uncertainty we are experiencing calls for a strong and reliable unemployment insurance system. It is high time to make permanent changes to a program that no longer reflects today’s working realities. Too many people are falling through the cracks, whether they are seasonal or on-demand workers, young people or new parents,” concluded Roxane Bélisle, Co-Coordinator of MASSE.
This press release was translated from French into English by UES800.