The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is not happy with the report from the Atlantic Premiers on Employment Insurance, calling it a missed opportunity. The Federation’s Atlantic Director Kevin Lacey argues you can’t grow the region economically with 14 weeks of work in a 52 week economy.
The Taxpayers Federation advocates each worker have an individual Employment Insurance Savings Account to draw upon in the event of unemployment instead of sending more and more E-I taxes to what Lacey calls a huge bureaucracy in Gatineau, Quebec. He goes on to say if you never have to draw any money from that account, you would get it returned to you at retirement.
Lacey points out the Premiers have said nothing about E-I taxes paid by workers going up by 25 per cent over the past five years.
He charges unemployment insurance was never mean’t to be a tool to boost the economy. It has been reported that changes to E-I being implemented by the Harper Government will cost the provincial economy 7 million dollars a year.
