|
Employment insurance (renamed from Unemployment Insurance in 1996) refers to government benefit payments during a period of UNEMPLOYMENT. In Canada, the employment insurance system is financed by premiums paid by employers and employees and by federal government contributions. As early as 1919 the Royal Commission on Industrial Relations had recommended a national program of unemployment insurance, but when the R.B. BENNETT government tried to introduce the Employment and Social Insurance Act in 1935, the Supreme Court of Canada and the Privy Council of Great Britain declared the Act unconstitutional on the grounds that it was an infringement of provincial authority. The first compulsory national unemployment insurance program was instituted in August 1940 (it came into operation in July 1941) after a constitutional amendment gave the federal government legislative power over unemployment insurance. Unemployment rates in Canada reached levels of about 20% during the GREAT DEPRESSION and hastened the adoption of unemployment insurance, as did the mobilization effort of WWII. To aid the organization of the work force for war, employment bureaus were expanded and used to administer the unemployment insurance system.
To qualify for employment insurance benefits, applicants must show that they were previously employed for between 420 and 700 hours depending on the local unemployment rate. To receive benefits, they must file a claim stating that they are without work, are willing to work and are registered at the Human Resource Centre. Following a waiting period of 2 weeks (new claims only), individuals are eligible to receive 55% of average weekly insured earnings up to a maximum in 1997 of $413 per week. The number of weeks for which benefits can be claimed varies, depending on the length of previous employment, previous employment insurance claims, and the national and regional unemployment rate. The employment insurance system is an important component of the economic safety net provided by government and there is little disagreement, in principle, that it has provided greater income security for Canadians. Among economists, however, there is substantial concern that specific features of the existing system may create unemployment. For example, it has been argued that the relatively short qualifying period may encourage individuals who would not choose to work, were it not for the prospect of also collecting benefits, to enter the labour force; and that unemployment is higher than it should be among those employed in seasonal industries because it may be easier to collect benefits than to look for other work during the off-season. See also SOCIAL SECURITY; DISTRIBUTION OF POWERS; TRANSFER PAYMENTS.
Author
D.A. SMITH
Links to Other Sites
Employment Insurance
The Government of Canada website for Employment Insurance. (EI) provides temporary financial assistance for unemployed Canadians while they look for work or upgrade their skills. Canadians who are sick, pregnant or caring for a newborn or adopted child, as well as those who must care for a family member who is seriously ill with a significant risk of death, may also be assisted by Employment Insurance.
|
|
|
|
 |
|
| Time waits for no man… and neither do trains... |
|
| Pierre Elliott Trudeau, politician, writer, constitutional lawyer, prime minister of Canada 1968-79 and 1980-84 (b at ... |
|
|
| Few countries were affected as severely as Canada by the worldwide Depression of the 1930s. It is estimated that ... |
|
|
| Louis Riel, Métis leader, founder of Manitoba, central figure in the NORTH-WEST REBELLION (b at Red River ... |
|
|
| The Group of Seven was founded in 1920 as an organization of self-proclaimed modern artists. The original members - ... |
|
|
| Sir John Alexander Macdonald, lawyer, businessman, politician, first prime minister of Canada (b at Brunswick Place, ... |
|
|
| Few countries were affected as severely as Canada by the worldwide Depression of the 1930s. It is estimated that ... |
|
|
| John Ware, "Nigger John," horseman, rancher (b near Georgetown, SC 1845; d near Brooks, Alta 11 Sept 1905). ... |
|
|
| Créditistes, Québec party involved in federal politics. For nearly 2 decades before its 1958 formation ... |
|
|
| Julia Verlyn LaMarsh, "Judy," lawyer, politician, broadcaster, novelist (b at Chatham, Ont 20 Dec 1924; d at ... |
|
Browse the rich visual resources of The Canadian Encyclopedia through thematic galleries of Canadian Art, History, Nature, People, and Science and Technology.
Illustrations, lively text, animations, sounds and games help make learning about Canadian history, art, geography, architecture and other topics entertaining as well as informative.
The ultimate test of your knowledge of Canada, trivial and otherwise. You can choose from more than 60 dynamic quizzes with visual or text clues. Your scores depend on the speed with which you answer and the number of clues you need. Results are sent to you by email and high scores are posted on the site.
This unique resource includes more than 6000 events from Canadian and world history. It can be searched by era, subject, keyword or date. To find out what happened on your birthday, select the month and day of your birth.
This selection of the 100 "greatest" events in Canadian history was made by editor in chief James H. Marsh to draw attention to events that have left an indelible memory in the minds of later generations.
| THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF MUSIC IN CANADA |
|
| Association de musique actuelle de Québec (AMAQ). Non-profit organization founded in June 1978 by Irène Brisson , Claude Brisson, Pierre Genest, Michel Drapeau, Odile Magnan, André Morin, and Gisèle ... |
|
|
