Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the people of Madawaska—Restigouche, whom I have the honour of representing here in the House, I want to express the frustration we feel with regard to the changes that were made to the employment insurance map for that region.
People will have to work at least 595 hours, instead of the 425 hours currently required, to be eligible for benefits, for which they are still paying astronomically high premiums.
Moreover, these same people will be entitled to only 18 weeks of benefits, compared to 28 weeks as is currently the case. And all that while there is a $30 billion surplus in the EI fund.
These changes do not take into account the social and economic reality of the Madawaska region. A large percentage of the jobs in our region are seasonal, whether it be in forestry, agriculture, construction or tourism.
I call upon the Minister of Human Resources Development to review the current proposal and to join the Madawaska region with the economic region of Restigouche-Albert.