Canada's Employment Insurance system is failing the recession "stress test" and many unemployed workers are falling through the cracks. The number of unemployed Canadians not in receipt of EI benefits jumped from 650,760 in October 2008 to 777,4000 in October 2009, even as the system because easier to access. It is estimated that as many as 500,000 Canadians who initiated an EI claim in 2009 will exhaust their benefits because new jobs remain very difficult to find.
The report makes recommendations for improving the EI system and calls on the federal government to make EI reform a key priority in the upcoming buget.
A new CCPA report finds Canada's Employment Insurance system is failing the recession "stress test" and many unemployed workers are falling through the cracks. Is EI Working for Canada's Unemployed? makes recommendations for improving the EI system and calls on the federal government to make EI reform a key priority in the upcoming buget. Click here to read more and download the full report.
This year's Alternative Federal Budget Roundtable, entitled Recession, Recovery and Transformation: Meeting the policy challenges of our time, was held in Ottawa on November 18. CPAC was there to tape the day's proceedings and has made the videos available on-demand on their website.
The first panel, From the Frontlines, featured presentations on the impact the recession is having on communities by:
Watch this panel in English or French.
The Honourable Ed Broadbent was the lunchtime speaker at a the Roundtable. You can read the text of his speech here. You can watch his inspirational speech outlining his ten propositions for a resurgence of the progressive movement on CPAC's website in both English and French.
The second panel, What kind of recovery?, examines the recession and so-called recovery so far in both Canada and the U.S. with panelists:
Watch this panel in English or French.
The final panel, Policies for a sustainable/transformative recovery, featured presentations by:
The Honourable Ed Broadbent was the lunchtime speaker at a recent CCPA Alternative Federal Budget Roundtable in Ottawa. You can read the text of his speech here. You can watch his inspirational speech outlining his ten propositions for a resurgence of the progressive movement on CPAC's website in both English and French.
CPAC will be airing more presentations from the Roundtable over the coming weeks. Click here for the full schedule.
A new Alternative Federal Budget Technical Paper by Jim Stanford and David Macdonald examines key economic indicators and finds Canada's economy is still a long way from recovery. The paper looks at Ottawa's stimulus initiatives to date and concludes that more public investment will be key to Canada's recovery. Click here to read more and download the full report.
CCPA not only does first-rate research; it also connects with the real world by putting powerful information in the hands of advocacy groups and by presenting intelligent, progressive ideas in the media. It is a BC jewel and I urge everyone to support it.
— Kathleen Ruff, founder, RightOn Canada