Allie Sanchez
Beginning this year, the Canadian government is cutting the waiting period for employment insurance (EI) from two weeks to one week.
The new measure is expected to ease the financial strain on EI claimants by putting an additional $650 million in the pockets of Canadians annually, specialist publication Occupational Health and Safety said in a recent report.
This new prescribed waiting period applies to all types of EI benefits, including regular, fishing, sickness, maternity, parental, compassionate care and special benefits. It entitles claimants to the same maximum number of weeks of EI benefits, the report also said.
As a result, reducing the waiting period moves forward the period during which such benefits are payable.
“By shortening the waiting period, we are taking a concrete step to ease financial pressures for claimants who have lost their jobs or who leave work for health reasons or family pressures,” Jean-Yves Duclos, Families, Children and Social Development minister said in the report.
