Employment Insurance is not a social program, Peggy Nash said."It is your money and my money," said Nash, a labour negotiator with the Canadian Auto Workers Union and the former MP for Parkdale/High Park.
But, when only 20 per cent of the people who apply for Employment Insurance (EI) actually get it, the system clearly needs an overhaul, she said.
"The rules have been in place for more than a decade and they are not good," Nash said. "It's supposed to be a safety net for people, but when they need it they can't get it."
In order to receieve EI you must qualify and according to Nash there are two main reasons why most people don't meet the requirements.
"The nature of work has changed and people aren't working a standard work week," Nash said.
This becomes a problem because the current EI system is an hours-based system. An individual must work a certain number of hours to qualify.
The situation is particularly relevant in a community like Parkdale. The current situation affects people in the hospitality sector, service industry, personal support workers, freelance workers, artists and others who work non-standard hours.
"I believe that our area has one of the highest densities of creative people in the arts who work project to project," Nash said. "These are the people who really fall through the cracks."
Every working person and employer pays into Employment Insurance, but Nash said most people who pay into it don't qualify for it.
The federal budget was a missed opportunity to see changes to the Employment Insurance program, according to Nash.
"The Conservative government, I am sure, would have been prepared to do a bit of bargaining to get Liberal support," Nash said. "It was a real missed opportunity by (Michael) Ignatieff (federal Liberal leader)."
There should be a uniform standard of qualifying hours across the country according to Nash - 360 hours. As well, she said the qualifying period one must wait before receiving benefits should be eliminated.
"Benefits should be extended and the amount of benefits should be raised," Nash said. "We need to help people get through this period."
By getting money in the hands of an unemployed person Nash said they will tend to spend it in their own community and it goes right back into the local economy.
"It's not the only piece of this economic downturn, but we really, as a society, need to think what we want the economy to look like in 10 to 15 years," she said. "As we go through this downturn we need to make sure people have the necessary support to transition from under employment or unemployment."
Nash is scheduled to be the guest speaker on this subject at a public meeting - Workers Rights in Troubled Times: Working For Change - hosted by MPP Cheri DiNovo. It takes place on Thursday, March 19 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Parkdale Public Library located at 1303 Queen St. W.
In addition, DiNovo said she will speak to a bill she plans to introduce calling for amendments to the provincial Employment Standards Act.
"Thirty seven per cent of (the) workforce in Ontario are precariously employed," DiNovo said. "Those are the people that will be laid off and are being laid off first."
She will also speak to Bill 139, the Temporary Workers Protection Bill, which calls for equal pay for equal work.
"Temporary staffers, cleaners, people working part time but doing the same job as someone else for far less money," DiNovo said. "You should be the same rate - same job."