Amendment BQ-4, and by correlation amendments BQ-5, BQ-6, BQ-10, BQ-11, BQ-12, and BQ-13, pertain to access to the program. This amendment is probably the most important of all of them since it affects the greatest number of people.
The employment insurance program, as the name indicates, is designed to serve as insurance. When it was created in the 1930s, it was indeed a type of insurance. When Quebec agreed to the constitutional amendment that made this a federal program—it had been under provincial jurisdiction—, it was on the understanding that it would truly be insurance for employment that would provide a safety net to people who lost their job.
At present, fewer than 40% of the unemployed qualify for employment insurance. The figure is less than 40% for women and even worse for young people, less than one third.
We would like to restore the eligibility requirement to what it was, 360 hours. Right now, the government no longer contributes to EI; it simply draws on the EI fund, which reduces access for workers who might need this wage loss insurance.
Even someone in the Gaspé region who works in the hotel industry could lose their job in the summer. Seasonal workers lose out because they do not quality for EI. Our amendments would improve access to the program.
Thank you.