A Liberal MP is trying to ramp up support to make an Employment Insurance (EI) pilot project permanent.
Scott Simms, MP for Bonavista-Gander-Grand Falls-Windsor, has been circulating petitions to local businesses on the Bonavista Peninsula to “rile up” the community.
“What bothers me is the Conservatives (in) the past, have waited until the last minute to (renew the project), which means they’re gauging public opinion,” Simms told the Packet while circulating petitions to small businesses.
“What I’d like people to do is get riled up about this before that point.”
Simms challenges community members to get vocal.
In 2009, the federal government extended the EI pilot project in regions where unemployment rates were greater than 10 per cent.
The current pilot project gives seasonal workers, whose claims begin between March 1 and Sept. 11, five additional weeks of regular benefits. The claimant can earn up to 40 per cent of weekly benefits while working and the best of 14 weeks out of 52 weeks are used to determine weekly benefits.
The petition asks that, “the additional five weeks of regular benefits be extended beyond Sept. 11… that the best 14 weeks out of 52 (weeks) be extended beyond Oct. 23… and that the ‘Working While on a Claim’ pilot project be extended beyond Dec. 4.”
The main request is that all three become permanent.
Simms contends the federal government isn’t serious about making the policy permanent.
“What they do is they drag this out until the very end where there’s enough kickback that they’re actually going to do something,” he said. “If (the government) sees that people are deeply concerned about it, they’ll make decisions sooner rather than later and they should make it permanent.”
Simms noted seasonal workers in the area — including the fishery, construction and tourism industries — have become dependant on the pilot project, which has been around for five years.
To remove it now, contends Simms, would be devastating to the local economy.
Jim Dalton of Little Catalina, who is a local union representative with the Fish, Food and Allied Workers (FFAW), said he’s concerned for the livelihood of seasonal workers if the project isn’t renewed.
“Every part of it is important to the seasonal workers. Like 14 weeks, extend the number of weeks you can draw, every bit of it is adding money to the pockets of those who are only getting seasonal work in Newfoundland,” he said.
“Without that, I don’t see (plant workers) being able to survive.”
Dalton said many workers are barely scraping by because of their low wages and any reduction to EI benefits would be devastating.
“If (the government) turn around and takes anything, even the little bit of EI that they’re getting — take out even a couple cheques out of that — and that’s a big drop for anyone when you’re talking about people making $6,000 to $9,000 a year,” he said.
Dalton said the FFAW raised their concerns to Simms.
He said the MP is stepping up to the plate and circulating the petition to areas where the union didn’t have time to circulate it.
Simms is plans to present the petitions to the House of Commons on Sept. 22, requesting permanent changes to the EI Act.
mclarkson@thepacket.ca
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