B.C. premier knocks Harper over 'unfair' regional EI qualifications
It's time to end regional differences between how long Canadians have to work before qualifying for employment insurance benefits, according to B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell.
"We need to eliminate the regional discrepancies in eligibility rules that are particularly unfair to western Canadians," said Campbell in a statement released to the media on Friday.
"If you're out of work, you should know that your EI eligibility entitlements are the same as all Canadians — one country with one set of citizenship rights. If 420 hours of work is sufficient to qualify for EI in one province, that should be the standard for every province," he said.
In order to qualify for benefits, workers in B.C. in areas of low unemployment such as Vancouver and Victoria require 665 insurable hours of work, but only 420 insurable hours in northern areas with high unemployment,
"Current eligibility rules require anywhere from 420 to 910 hours of employment before workers can qualify for EI, depending on local unemployment rates. This is clearly discriminatory. It denies many people access to EI benefits simply because they lost their job in an area that supposedly has relatively lower unemployment rates," said Campbell.
Based on current unemployment rates, the latest figures show that 700 hours are the most required in any part of Canada to qualify.
Partisan position
The comments by Campbell put him at odds with Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who maintains the current system, which makes it easier to qualify for EI in areas of high unemployment, does not need to be changed.
The apparently partisan stance is unusual for Campbell, who is normally very careful to tread a non-partisan line when it comes to federal policy issues, at least publicly. Campbell built his three-term B.C. Liberal government by skilfully uniting B.C.'s political right, including supporters from the federal Liberals, Conservatives and former Reform party.
But the rapid job losses in B.C. after years of low unemployment may be forcing him to take a stand against the Conservatives for their reluctance to reform EI, and he's likely to find allies in Alberta and Ontario, which have also suffered heavy job losses because of the economic downturn.
The comments also appear to ally Campbell with federal Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff, who has been urging the government to lower the minimum threshold to claim EI to 360 hours and make it a national standard. Ignatieff said recently his party could push for an election if the changes are not made, and he called for concrete reforms before Parliament breaks in June.
Harper has said the Liberal proposal is equivalent to a massive increase in payroll taxes and warned he's willing to "take on" the Liberals over the issue
The B.C. Liberals have no formal ties with the federal Liberal party, but with a federal election a real possibility, Campbell's comments are likely to be heard by the federal Liberals, who have been trying for years to make a breakthrough in B.C. Under Stéphane Dion, the Liberals placed behind the Green party in many B.C. ridings in the 2008 federal election, while Campbell just won his third straight mandate in May.
Extend EI to avoid welfare
The premier also called on the federal government to work with the provinces to extend EI benefits for laid-off workers in order to keep them off welfare, also known as income assistance.
"Income assistance is clearly the last social safety net into which any worker wants to fall. Not only are the monthly benefits often less than those payable under EI, but those who are forced to go on welfare risk entering a cycle of dependency that is tough on families, communities and our economy," wrote Campbell.
"The reality is that as long as a worker is on EI, they tend to have more hope about their eventual job prospects and the temporary nature of their predicament," he wrote.
B.C.'s unemployment rate hit 7.4 per cent in March when 82,000 people collected EI benefits, a total increase of 80.5 per cent since October 2008. The number of people on social assistance in B.C. who were able and expected to work also increased 49.8 per cent in the last six months. A dramatic slowdown in the forestry and construction industries has been blamed for many of the job losses.