Employment Insurance Oral Questions House of Commons

Alex Atamanenko  – MP British Columbia Southern Interior

Mr. Speaker, I think it is probably time for the minister to get out of her glass bubble and actually talk to people affected by these cuts. The fruit industry in British Columbia depends on seasonal workers, but under the new EI rules seasonal workers will be forced to accept any work that comes along. With these demands, there will be a dramatic decrease in the number of workers available to help with the harvest. Fruit growers will be left scrambling with harvest and delivery. When is the government going to reverse these changes, which negatively affect seasonal workers?

Diane Finley  – Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development

Mr. Speaker, our goal is to make sure that when Canadians work they are better off than when they do not. We have a shortage of skills and labour right across this country. Employers are so desperate for help that they have to pay extra costs just to bring in outside workers, when we do have qualified Canadians for those jobs. We want to help connect Canadians with those jobs so that they, their families and their employers are all better off.