EI and Stimulus

On Wednesday, the Liberals decided to announce that they want the Harper government to improve EI as part of the budget in order to obtain their support. That's all well and good, but coming from the Liberals, it seems like a rather last minute trip along the road to Damascus. Liberals are the same party that effectively gutted EI in the 1990s to finance their deficit reduction. They stole billions from Canadian workers, and used it to pay down the debt and deficit. I'm glad they've finally seen the light, but it seems rather late.

Improving EI is an excellent way to stimulate the economy, because it keeps families who have lost jobs able to buy their essentials, and pay their bills, which flows money back into the economy. It's also the right thing to do, because these workers have been paying EI premiums for years, and deserve the security it brings, so that losing one's job does not mean an instantaneous disaster. Workers have given their sweat, tears and (far too often) their blood, for this county. It's time for the country to give back to them.

In their Alterative Budget, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives called for the injection of $3.4 billion into the EI programme, to increase benefits to 60% of insurable income, and coverage to fifty weeks. EI is the very definition of counter-cyclical spending, since it spends money when the economy is bad, and saves money when the economy is doing well (at least it saves when the feds don't steal its surplus).

Canadian workers deserve the support of their government, and enriching EI is a good way to give that support. If the Liberals want to get on the pro-worker train, the more the merrier. But they're going to have to prove that they have earned their seats.

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