Madam Speaker, the human resources department service centres are receiving a failing grade from the very people they are there to serve, the unemployed Canadian workers.
I was contacted recently by an Ontario individual who found it necessary to apply for employment insurance benefits. According to HRDC personnel there was a waiting time of least six weeks. It was their busy time. This individual asked department personnel if there was any way to speed up the process. He was told to go to the local welfare office to apply for benefits.
It is a scary time for Canadians when their government's policy is to offload the unemployed onto provincial social assistance. The EI surplus is nearing $40 billion and unemployed Canadians are being forced onto welfare. Canadian workers are in need of an employment insurance system that works. How long will they have to wait?