The current employment insurance provisions have a qualifying period of 52 weeks. The way it is set up, you have to be gainfully employed during those 52 weeks and making contributions to the fund.
If you're able to engage in a labour dispute and extend your entitlement for a long period of time, based on what may have happened two or three years ago in terms of your last employment and your last contribution to the EI fund as an employee, then you're going to be in a position where you're gaining an advantage if you're receiving benefits after a long period of time.