Lack of Response from Liberal candidates on E.I.

6/25/2004

FFAW/CAW President Earle McCurdy said today he is “very disappointed” at the lack of response from Liberal candidates to a questionnaire dealing with items of importance to fishery workers.

The Union had circulated a questionnaire soliciting the positions of candidates from the various parties with respect to an early retirement program for fishery workers and changes to Employment Insurance regulations applying to seasonal workers.

Mr. McCurdy said no Liberal candidates responded to the survey.

The New Democratic Party replied in support of both an early retirement program for fishery workers and changes to the E.I. program including a 360 hour re-qualifying requirement instead of the present 420 hours; elimination of the two week benefit period; calculation of individual benefit rates based on the twelve best qualifying weeks; and permitting workers engaged in training to qualify for E.I.

Mr. McCurdy noted that NDP leader Jack Layton made a commitment on national TV on Thursday to improve regulations as they relate to seasonal workers.

The Liberal government promised prior to the election to extend benefit periods in areas of high unemployment by five weeks.

“This would be a positive change,” Mr. McCurdy said, “but it needs to be accompanied by changes to the number of hours needed to qualify and to remove disincentives by basing an individual’s benefit rate on his or her twelve best weeks out of the past 52 weeks.”

The three incumbent Conservative MPs - Loyola Hearn, Norm Doyle and Rex Barnes - all said they supported the Union’s proposals with respect to E.I. changes and an early retirement program.

“The real concern here is not the views of the candidates but the policy of the party,” Mr. McCurdy said.

He noted that the official Conservative Party spokesperson on E.I., Brian Palliser, was quoted in a Moncton newspaper saying that the Party’s priorities with respect to E.I. would be to cut premiums, then conduct a review of “all aspects of the program, including whether E.I. is too generous and creates dependency, especially among seasonal workers”.

Mr. McCurdy said this comment is a reflection of the attitude toward Atlantic Canadians of Conservative leader Stephen Harper.

“Perhaps a minority government is what it would take to get reasonable changes to E.I. and establish a badly-needed early retirement program in the fishery.”

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