Mr. Speaker, weeks have passed since the minister of unemployment promised an EI extension to assist fishermen due to severe ice conditions, saying a plan would indeed be announced soon.
“The fishers do have special circumstances both within their employment and under the EI rules. That is why we are working with the Department of Fisheries to make sure that we are looking after these individuals, and we will be addressing that situation very soon”, she reported to the House on April 22. Now her own officials suggest the minister may have misled the House.
What did the minister mean when she said she will look after these individuals, and what did the minister mean when she said “very soon”?