As part of the Government’s economic response to the pandemic, temporary measures were introduced in September 2020 to allow greater flexibility and more people access to the Employment Insurance (EI) program. As a result, more than 3.79 million people have accessed EI since last fall, with the program delivering over $37 billion to support Canadian workers and their families.
COVID-19 exposed gaps in our social system infrastructure. It became obvious that this system which served us well, for 45 years, no longer works in a 21st-century social democracy like Canada.
As we rebuild post-COVID we have the opportunity to build a better system, one which allows Canadians to have a quality of life with dignity and that addresses their fundamental needs.
That’s why in August 2021, our government launched consultations on future longer-term EI improvements.
The Government has been consulting with Canadian workers, employers and other stakeholders, since both employees and employers are partners in the program.
We want to know what you think about the changes needed to modernize EI. You can take a few minutes to fill out an online survey here: Share your thoughts: Help us build a better EI program – Canada.ca
The deadline to participate in this survey has been extended until November 19th, 2021.
Building a modern EI system to support the nature of today’s labour market is ambitious, but through the input of Canadians across the country we will be able to build an EI program that is responsive to people’s needs.
If you have any other questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out. You can call the office at 613-992-3213 or visit my website at hedyfry.com.
Sincerely,
Hon. Hedy Fry, P.C., MP
