CThis measure means that Canadians who live in regions with an unemployment rate below 13.1% will still have their EI benefits calculated from this minimum rate. Where the unemployment rate is higher, benefits will be calculated using the actual rate for that region. By adopting this measure, Ottawa recognizes “that the pandemic continues to make labor market conditions uncertain and unpredictable across the country.”
According to Statistics Canada, the unemployment rate was 10.9% in July, down from 12.3% in June and the record high of 13.7% recorded in May – at the heart of the pandemic. According to Ottawa, more than 1.6 million Canadians have returned to work since the federal government introduced the Canada Emergency Benefit (CEP), which has provided income support to more than 8.5 million Canadians.
“As we gradually and cautiously revive certain sectors of our economy, we recognize that many working Canadians still face challenges,” Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development, said Monday. work and Inclusion of people with disabilities.
“Temporary use of the national minimum unemployment rate for the EI program will help more people access regular EI benefits and provide eligible Canadians with a minimum of 26 weeks of benefits.”
The National Council for the Unemployed (CNC) immediately welcomed this federal initiative on Monday, which will ensure “the transition from the PCU to regular employment insurance benefits”.
“We are simplifying things, we are replacing certain elements that raised fears of the end of the PKU, in a context where the health and economic crisis continues and where workers are suffering the consequences,” said the spokesperson for the organization, Pierre Céré. “Workers who had a right to employment insurance, put in brackets by the PKU, will therefore find an improved right.”
By setting the minimum unemployment rate at 13.1%, Ottawa gives access to employment insurance benefits to workers who have accumulated “at least 420 hours, giving them the right to a benefit period of a minimum of 26 weeks, and this in the whole of the country ”, estimates the CNC.
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