Tories backtrack on EI rule, say minister speaking in 'generalities'

A federal minister from New Brunswick said unemployed workers on EI will be required to accept reasonable job offers that are within an hour’s drive of their home, but officials are now stressing that Keith Ashfield was only speaking in “generalities.”

The federal fisheries minister appeared to be offering up a rare bit of detail on the Conservative government’s promised Employment Insurance reforms, when he spoke about commute times and EI in a CBC Radio interview.

“People that can find employment within an hour’s drive of their home, that would be reasonable in our opinion. And hopefully people will be able to fill some of the positions that [are] appropriate to their skill level to find meaningful employment,” said Mr. Ashfield.

Setting a clear geographical rule of a one hour’s drive would bring clarity to one of the most debated and subjective sections of the current EI rules. However Conservative officials told the Globe and Mail that the minister was only speaking in general terms to make the point that Canadians on EI will not be expected to move.

Currently, an unemployed worker’s decision to restrict their job search to a specific geographic region is dealt with on a case-by-case basis. Disputes have been resolved by an independent board of referees and the Federal Court.

Those rulings on daily commuting have covered a wide range of specific scenarios, such as bus schedules and whether the unemployed person owns a vehicle.

It is not clear whether a one-hour’s drive rule would apply to all unemployed workers, regardless of whether they have access to a vehicle or public transit.

This is the latest example of conflicting messages from the government on its yet-to-be-announced EI changes.

Mr. Ashfield stressed that the point of the changes is to make people aware of available jobs, not to force people to move.

“It’s not to force people to go to Alberta,” he said. “It’s not to force people to drive for four hours or move away from their home community. That’s not the intent at all. It’s to ensure that people have the tools and the opportunities made available to them to find meaningful employment.”

The Conservative government triggered intense speculation about the future of Canada’s EI system with the release of its omnibus budget bill, C-38. The legislation will erase key sections of the Employment Insurance Act dealing with the criteria unemployed workers can cite for refusing an available job on the grounds that it is not suitable.

The government says it will replace those legislative rules with new measures under regulation after the budget bill is approved by Parliament.

Human Resources Minister Diane Finley is expected to announce details on those planned regulations soon.

Original Article
Source: the globe and mail
Author: BILL CURRY