Mr. Speaker, recent Statistics Canada data on changes to the employment insurance program indicate that St. John's, Newfoundland, was one of the hardest hit among Canada's 28 large cities. The EI changes are costing the economy of St. John's about $78 million annually, with only 40% of the unemployed in the St. John's region qualifying for benefits at all.
The Liberal government has made it more difficult for workers to qualify for benefits and those workers who do qualify receive fewer benefits for a shorter period of time. Many workers have been eliminated from the benefits system altogether. This is unconscionable, given the massive surplus in the EI fund.
What has happened to the employment insurance fund for the unemployed? It is high time that EI became UI again.