Madam Speaker, I am pleased to respond to the adjournment motion question brought forward by the hon. member for Regina—Lewvan.
Let me assure members of the House that we are giving Canadians the help they need right now. We understand that employment insurance is a critical program. It is critical to supporting Canadians who are faced with a job loss or a life event, and we have responded in all regions of the country where there has been this type of extreme job loss.
Improving access and flexibility in the EI program to better support the needs of Canadians is indeed a top priority for this government. Let us look at the facts. While the level of unemployment in certain areas of the country is very troubling, it is clear that EI is supporting those who need it. Today, there is double the number of EI claimants in Alberta compared with a year ago. In recent months, the number of claimants is also up by roughly 30% in Saskatchewan. Helping Saskatchewan is not just about paying out benefits.
Rather, we are attacking this issue from all angles, and we are working with the province to understand and manage the effects of the economic situation. We have been helping match people with jobs that are available within the regions in which they live. Our government is also monitoring the levels of employment and unemployment right across the country.
The Prime Minister took a positive step by offering support to western provinces that were hit hard by the economic situation. As members can see, we have been taking action as these troubling circumstances arise. These measures are only an immediate response. However, we are committed to doing more.
As announced in the federal budget, the amount of EI regular benefits has been expanded by five weeks, up to a maximum of 50 weeks, for eligible claimants in 12 EI economic regions that have experienced sustained increases in unemployment. Furthermore, we also recently extended EI benefits to three new employment insurance economic regions to reflect the impact of the downturn in oil commodity prices.
We are clearly modernizing the employment insurance program, and these changes will improve EI to make it more fair, flexible, and responsive to the needs of Canadians.
First, we are eliminating discrimination against workers who are newly entering or re-entering the workforce. Next, we are modifying the changes that came into force in 2012 that forced unemployed workers to move away from their communities and take lower-paying jobs. That was not right and we have corrected that. Our government is also providing more flexible parental benefits and more accessible compassionate care benefits, something Canadians have been asking for as reforms under the EI program.
This government knows that when it comes to collecting EI benefits, time is of the essence, and Canadians expect to receive their benefits as quickly as possible, especially when they have lost their job unexpectedly. That is why our government is reducing the EI waiting period to one week and improving service standards to all regions of the country. Therefore, efforts are already under way to improve service delivery and streamline program rules.
I hope that these changes are supported by the—