Democracy Gone Astray

Democracy, being a human construct, needs to be thought of as directionality rather than an object. As such, to understand it requires not so much a description of existing structures and/or other related phenomena but a declaration of intentionality.
This blog aims at creating labeled lists of published infringements of such intentionality, of points in time where democracy strays from its intended directionality. In addition to outright infringements, this blog also collects important contemporary information and/or discussions that impact our socio-political landscape.

All the posts here were published in the electronic media – main-stream as well as fringe, and maintain links to the original texts.

[NOTE: Due to changes I haven't caught on time in the blogging software, all of the 'Original Article' links were nullified between September 11, 2012 and December 11, 2012. My apologies.]

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Conservatives not standing up for their regions on EI: Toone

CARLETON-SUR MER — Conservative politicians in New Brunswick including Premier David Alward should be doing more to defend their region and fight the federal government’s planned changes to Canada’s employment insurance system, says NDP MP Philip Toone.

“He’s got a lot of explaining to do,” Toone said in an interview with iPolitics. “He’s not fighting this EI reform at all. Frankly, I don’t think people in New Brunswick are very happy about that.”

Toone says he has begun putting together a common front to fight the changes and is encouraging Conservative politicians to join it as well.

“If they join, great. Then we’re speaking with a common voice – so much the better and maybe we can get somewhere. If they don’t join, then I’m just going to say you guys aren’t defending your region and I’m going to scream loudly about that.”

However, John Williamson, Conservative MP for New Brunswick Southwest, says the opposition is exaggerating the impact that the changes will have.

While he acknowledges that some of his constituents are asking questions and have concerns, he said they also agree that employment insurance is for those who need it and people should take a job when they can – not just wait until their EI benefits run out.

“I find there are people back home who are concerned about EI abuse and they don’t want to see it continue,” he explained. “I also find that people who rely on EI are asking questions about the changes but there haven’t been constituents coming up to me and denouncing the changes.”

Williamson said there has been more talk so far in his riding about public service job cuts this summer than the EI changes.

Under the new rules scheduled to go into effect early next year, those who collect EI when they are laid off from seasonal industries risk being labeled frequent claimants. When they file for EI, they could be required to expand their job search to jobs similar to their normal jobs and accept wages starting at 80 per cent of their previous hourly wage.

After receiving benefits for seven weeks, they would be required to accept any work they are qualified to perform and to accept wages starting at 70 per cent of their previous hourly wage.

In Quebec, Parti Québécois Leader Pauline Marois has seized on the unpopularity of the changes to bolster her election campaign, pledging to repatriate the control over employment insurance.

Toone says the government’s plan to tighten the rules for those who repeatedly claim employment insurance benefits will hit hard in areas like his riding of Gaspésie-Iles de la Madeleine.

The base unemployment rate in the area is 14 per cent – nearly twice the provincial average. However, it skyrockets when the summer tourism and fishing seasons come to an end.

“It’s a seasonal area – there’s no way around it,” Toone explains. “With the changes to employment insurance, areas like mine are going to have a hard time.”

Toone says the EI changes will also hit local employers hard.

“We’re going to lose people (who are) perfectly trained, very efficient,” he predicted. “Employers are going to find next year they are going to be looking for those people, they will have left. Then what. You’ve got to train new people, which is very costly. Two, it takes a long time for someone to get into the rhythm of their job. It’s not effective. It’s going to be a very costly reform for employers.”

Employment insurance does more than simply tide workers over when they lose their jobs, Toone added.

“Employment insurance has a lot of roles to play in the Canadian economy and part of it is to make sure that employers can actually have a business that generates profit, that pays taxes, that pays (for) the services that we have. Putting a little investment in EI creates a lot of economic benefit.”

Toone said he already has begun to meet with local groups to mount a campaign against the changes.

“I was meeting with the Mi’gmaqs from Listiguj and they suggested something and I like this idea – that I communicate not only with the elected officials on this side of the bay – but also go speak to the ones on the (New Brunswick) side to see if we can get a common front when it comes to EI.”

“We all live the same reality. Whether it’s one province or the other – the economy here is the same, largely.

Toone is also enlisting the help of local businesses.

“We’re talking to hotels and they are handing out pamphlets for us that say seasonal employment is a reality, I know you’re on vacation but just think about it for a second. The person serving you is a seasonal worker. When you go back home talk to your friends about how it’s important to support seasonal workers.”

“At first I thought it would be a hard sell but frankly people at hotels, Et cetera, seem to really like the idea.”

Original Article
Source: ipolitics
Author: Elizabeth Thompson

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