Stephen Harper proud of that lump of coal he gave unemployed Canadians

While the Prime Minister tweets his pleasure over the new changes to EI, let’s look more closely at exactly what Canada’s unemployed will be up against in 2013.

According to the regulations that came into force yesterday (http://gazette.gc.ca/rp-pr/p2/2012/2012-12-19/html/sor-dors261-eng.html) Canada’s recently or soon to be unemployed will be faced with longer commutes and less choices to advance their careers.

LONGER COMMUTES:

9.002 (d): “the daily commuting time to or from the place of work is not greater than one hour or, if it is greater than one hour, it does not exceed the claimant’s daily commuting time to or from their place of work during the qualifying period or is not uncommon given the place where the claimant resides, and commuting time is assessed by reference to the modes of commute commonly used in the place where the claimant resides”

SUITABLE EMPLOYMENT:

9.003 (1)(c)(iii): “after the 18th week of the benefit period, any occupation in which the claimant is qualified to work”

“occupation in which the claimant is qualified to work” is later defined as:

9.003 (2)(c) “an occupation in which the claimant could become qualified to work through on-the-job training”.

Under this scenario, many professionally trained Canadians who fail to find work could be forced into jobs they aren’t qualified for, and jobs over an hour away from their home.

Conservatives are dismantling Canada’s Employment Insurance program to ensure fewer Canadians qualify for fewer benefits – and it seems Stephen Harper and his Conservatives just couldn’t be happier about this.