The liberals drop the seasonal workers

Photo courtesy, NDP
Brigitte Sansoucy
Mp NDP

Brigite Sansoucy and Niki Ashton, special Collaboration

Saturday, march 10, 2018 05:00

UPDATE
Saturday, march 10, 2018 05:00

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While the needs are many, everywhere in the country, particularly in Quebec and in the Atlantic provinces, where the black hole of the employment insurance continues to affect thousands of our fellow citizens, the government has introduced a new budget which is a huge shortage of ambition. The black hole, nearly 16 000 workers who, for more than four months for some, will be deprived of income during the off-peak periods because of the poor reforms of the employment insurance made by the conservatives and the liberals, in turn.

Photo courtesy, NDP

Niki Ashton
Mp NDP

During the last election campaign, Justin Trudeau had made the promise to abolish the reform of the conservatives, which penalizes seasonal workers and their families. However, almost 29 months later, it is clear that the beautiful words made by the liberals never came to pass and that nothing has changed. The time was yet arrived with the federal budget in 2018 ! Thousands of families across the country will, once again, without any income for several weeks.

Employment insurance : a necessary reform

It is not tolerable that this government doesn’t do more to resolve once and for all this situation. Each year, the black hole of assurance-employment affects new workers and their families without any government, whether conservative or liberal, does not undertake a real reform of employment insurance. Put up the money for half-measures will not suffice – workers expect real reform from the bottom.

For too long the NDP, the groups of the unemployed and the unions are trying to convince this government of the need to perform an in-depth overhaul of the employment insurance plan, question to better reflect the realities of seasonal work, but so far we have not been listened to.

However, it is not sufficient that a legislative change to that seasonal workers and their families have not ever again have to relive this precarious situation, year after year. The time has come for the federal government to understand that these are the jobs that are seasonal, not the workers who occupy them.

The workers deserve respect

The new budget represented a real opportunity for the government to honour its promises and find a real solution and sustainable for the thousands of seasonal workers and their families. Unfortunately, once again, the federal government has preferred to act in a superficial way and leave these workers in this situation is truly shameful.

Remember that the NDP supports the demands of workers, groups of the unemployed and the trade unions who continue to fight for the liberal government to put finally in place emergency measures to resolve the current situation. The NDP demand a better access to employment insurance, which is why it is more important than ever to establish a threshold that is universal eligibility to 360 hours, and restore the program of the additional five weeks for all seasonal workers, which would help many regions that are currently severely affected by the problem of the black hole of employment insurance.

We are facing a problem of substance, and the surface gestures are not enough. It is time to really go to the action.

Brigitte Sansoucy is member of parliament for Saint-Hyacinthe-Bagot and spokesperson for the NDP on matters of family, children and social development, and Niki Ashton mp-Churchill-Keewatinook Aski nation and spokesperson for employment and development of the workforce