The regional map and the unemployment rates for the different regions determine the number of hours of insurable employment people need to qualify for EI benefits, anywhere between 420 and 700 hours.
Another important consideration right now is part-time work, which mainly concerns women and young people. Even though they pay their EI premiums, they have a harder time qualifying for benefits. Clearly, it takes longer to accumulate 420 hours when you're working just 15 hours a week, as opposed to 40 hours.
We believe the government needs to reduce those barriers so that more people can qualify for benefits.
I'd like to hear your thoughts on that.