To mark the first contributions made to the unemployment insurance fund more than 73 years ago (July 1, 1941), the Public Service Alliance of Canada is launching “Employment Insurance in Canada: Hitting Rock Bottom”, a short animated video on the decline of the EI program over the last 25 years.
“Since the 1990’s, the Employment Insurance Program has been decimated by successive Liberal and Conservative governments to the point where it no longer fulfills its mission to protect Canadian workers from the hardship of unemployment,” said Robyn Benson, PSAC National President.
The proportion of unemployed workers receiving employment insurance benefits has fallen dramatically since 1990, reaching a historic low over the last few years. In 2012, for the first time in almost 40 years, the beneficiaries-to-unemployed ratio fell below 40%.
“As if the situation wasn’t bad enough, the Harper government imposed further reforms. No one will be surprised to learn that even less unemployed workers were helped in 2013, further lowering the ratio to a mere 37%,” explained Magali Picard, PSAC Regional Vice-President for Quebec.
“How is it that a measure supposed to help the victims of unemployment excludes so many? These latest changes have further crippled a program that was already way out of step with the reality of today’s labour market,” said Larry Rousseau, PSAC Regional Vice-President for the National Capital Region.
The “Employment Insurance in Canada: Hitting Rock Bottom” video aims to inform the public on the impact of the Conservative government’s cuts to federal programs and services.
We hope that Canadians from all walks of life will voice their concern for one of Canada’s most important programs that aims to reduce inequality, help our most vulnerable citizens, and ensure a more fair and prosperous future for our country,” concluded Benson.
The video and additional information on the cuts to the Employment Insurance program is available on weareallaffected.ca and notothecuts.ca
SOURCE PSAC
Video with caption: “Employment Insurance in Canada: Hitting Rock Bottom”. Video available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hK3L5F4cAgk&feature=youtu.be
