Mr. Speaker, the government's continued attacks on employment insurance are disingenuous, disrespectful and downright disgraceful.
First the changes to the EI system were hidden in the government's massive Trojan Horse omnibus bill. Then the minister said she would provide details only after the bill is passed. Now it seems that no one across the aisle understands what it is like to struggle to make ends meet after losing a job.
According to the human resources minister, EI makes it “lucrative” for Canadians to stay home and get paid for it.
The Prime Minister once said that people who are unemployed “...don't feel bad about it themselves as long as they're receiving generous social assistance and unemployment insurance”.
As well, of course, there is the Minister of Finance, who thinks refereeing hockey games while building a future at law school is the same as a lifetime of back-breaking work in a mine shaft.
It is time the government stopped being part of the unemployment problem and started being part of the solution.