Mr. Speaker, the member for Dartmouth—Cole Harbour wonders what the changes are to the EI system. I will outline some of the steps we have taken under our economic action plan to improve it.
There is no doubt we understand the uncertainty that many Canadian workers and their families face. Our plan will assist these workers and their families. It will help those who are being hit hardest during this economic downturn, those who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own.
The member has suggested that we are spending some money for retraining. As part of our economic action plan, we are investing an unprecedented $8.3 billion in the Canada skills and training strategy.
Canadians who have lost their jobs or are at risk of losing them need to know their government is working hard for them, and that is what we are doing.
Through our economic action plan, we are increasing funding for training delivered through the employment insurance program by $1 billion over two years, and that is on top of the existing $1.95 billion. We will do this through our existing labour market development agreements with the provinces and territories. This government recognizes that the provinces and territories are best placed to design and deliver training programs to address the needs of their labour markets.
This large cash infusion will help respond to the higher demand for labour market programs and training owing to increased unemployment. As a result, thousands more EI eligible clients will receive training.
We know this is a difficult time for many Canadians, and never before has there been such a concerted effort to reach out and help them.
We know that those who have worked in the same or similar jobs for a long time and are permanently laid off often have a more difficult time adjusting to the changing labour market, especially during tough times. That is why our economic action plan is working for them.
To help these workers change occupations, we are introducing a pilot project, working with the provinces and territories, that would extend EI benefits for long tenured workers pursing longer term training.
In addition, through our economic action plan, workers with severance or other separation payments will be eligible for earlier access to EI benefits if they use some or all of these payments to purchase skills upgrading or training. We will be working with the provinces and territories to implement this measure. This support will not only help Canadians who are facing job loss and uncertainty, but will also help them get back into the workforce.
We appreciate, too, that when the labour market takes a downturn, Canadians need support. That is why we are providing assistance through an expanded work sharing program so people can retrain and preserve their jobs.
For the next two years, we will make available nationally the five weeks of extended EI benefits that have previously been available through a pilot project only in regions with the highest unemployment. The government will also increase the maximum duration of benefits to 50 weeks. Some 400,000 claimants could benefit from these changes.
Clearly, we understand the challenges facing many Canadians. These measures show that our government is quick to take action to adjust employment insurance to meet the needs of today's workers and prepare them for the jobs of tomorrow. These are accumulate incentive steps, a number of steps taken specifically and directed to those who are unemployed. We understand the circumstances they are going through and we are taking action.
I ask the member, along with other members of the House, to get behind the budget implementation plan to ensure it gets into force as soon as possible.