The EI program at its heart is a labour market program, so it is seeking to ensure an efficient labour market. Where it began, when it took a look at job loss, was with the idea that when people lose their jobs, they would have some kind of income support while at the same time there would be an obligation on people to look for work and to try to find new work. Over time, there have been elements of the program to support those workers as well.
There is an important provincial-territorial element that provides employment supports to help with finding jobs, with ensuring that workers know what they need to do to look for and find jobs. There is an element that is about supporting workers to get back to work.
On the special benefits side, while it does not require people to report that they're looking for work, it has the element of encouraging people to return to work after taking time away to welcome a new child to their family, for example, or to recover from an illness.