But it will be a few more months before the Tories define what jobs are considered "suitable employment" for Canadians applying for EI benefits and looking for work.
Opposition parties are worried many Canadians could be excluded from receiving employment insurance coverage when it's needed most.
Human Resources Minister Diane Finley also said Monday that the government will live up to its campaign promise and provide financial support for parents of gravely ill children, although details are still months away.
The EI changes come as the Harper government has been cutting jobs at Service Canada facilities that process EI claims, although Finley maintains the response times are improving.
The new pan-Canadian EI approach, unveiled in the March budget, will calculate weekly employment insurance benefits based on local labour market conditions in various regions across Canada.
"We want to make sure that EI remains fair and flexible. It also needs to continue meeting the needs of Canadians while being responsive to changing labour market conditions," Finley told reporters in Ottawa.
Currently, benefits are calculated differently for Canadians living in certain areas of the country, even if unemployment rates are similar in the various regions.
Under the changes which take effect in April 2013, the value of EI benefits will be determined using the highest weeks of earnings over the preceding year.
The number of weeks to be used in calculating EI benefits will range from 14 to 22, depending on the unemployment rate in a particular region. The plan builds on a pilot project already in place in parts of the country.
The reforms are intended to make the system more fair by ensuring that Canadians living in regions with similar labour market conditions will receive similar benefits. The government also hopes the measures will reduce disincentives to accepting all available work prior to applying for EI benefits.
The move to a "best variable weeks" EI calculation will see 22 weeks of earnings factored in regions with unemployment of six per cent or less, ranging to 14 weeks for regions with unemployment rates of 13.1 per cent or higher.
The federal budget bill introduced last week gives cabinet the power to define what is considered "suitable employment" — which could affect whether a person qualifies for EI and the benefits they are paid.
Finley said a definition of what is deemed suitable employment will be announced in the coming months.
However, NDP finance critic Peggy Nash worries the government is considering changes that could force Canadians in need of EI benefits to accept jobs outside of their normal profession or in another region.
"The concern is that perhaps people will be forced off of EI to take any job perhaps anywhere in the country or lose their EI benefits," Nash said Monday.
The EI system needs major changes, she added, arguing certain regions like Central Canada have more difficulty in accessing employment insurance benefits.
"Definitely we need reforms. We also need to see the benefit levels improve because they're far below what they should be," Nash said.
Opposition parties blame government cuts at Service Canada offices for delays in processing employment insurance benefits. The minister, however, said the response rate at Service Canada has been getting "dramatically better" over the past few months.
Finley also promised the government will live up to its election campaign promise to support parents of gravely ill children, even though that component was left out of a funding announcement in mid-April to help families of murdered or missing children.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced earlier in April a new federal benefit that will provide $350 per week for up to 35 weeks to the parents of murdered or missing children under 18. While the announcement fulfilled a campaign promise, there was no mention of a similar pledge to help the parents of gravely ill children.
Finley said the government sees the two issues as "very separate programs" and will make an announcement "shortly" on funding for parents of sick children.
Original Article
Source: vancouver sun
Author: Jason Fekete
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