Improve the Employment Insurance (EI) system that currently leaves too many unemployed workers with no safety net.

What success looks like

Employment Insurance (EI) remains responsive over the long-term to the needs of workers and employers and reflects the diversity of needs across the country.

Government's narrative on progress

In 2016, the government reduced the waiting period for EI and made benefits more flexible, easier to access and more generous for workers who need it. For example, the New Entrants and Re-Entrants provision has been eliminated—which set higher eligibility requirements for youth, newcomers and other workers new to the labour market—enabling over 50,000 more Canadians annually to qualify in the event of job loss. In addition, extra weeks of benefits were provided to regions most affected by the commodities downturn and job search responsibilities were simplified. Over the last year, the government has heard from Parliamentarians, stakeholders and experts as to how to further modernize EI. In Budget 2018, the government introduced a permanent successor strategy to the current EI Working While on Claim pilot that expires in August 2018. In addition, Budget 2018 announced that Working While on Claim provisions will be extended to EI maternity and sickness benefits, so that workers can maintain their connection to the labour force during periods of temporary unemployment. In addition, Budget 2018 proposed to better assist workers in seasonal industries that experience a gap in income support before the start of the next season. Budget 2019 proposes to introduce a new Canada Training Benefit to help Canadians get the skills they need to find and keep good jobs, including a new EI Training Support Benefit to provide income support during training. The government will continue to look for ways to better serve Canadians as they deal with important life events.

Note: this is the government's own description, not an independent assessment.