In February, Canada’s unions called on the federal government to extend income support for unemployed workers until at least the end of 2021.

Last week, we got a 12-week extension for both the Canada Recovery Benefit and the Canada Recovery Caregiving Benefit. The government also announced an additional 24 weeks of eligibility for Employment Insurance.

This extension is important. Millions of Canadians still don’t have a job they can go back to and were worried how to pay their bills once their benefits ended in March.

Still, more work must be done to disaster-proof Canada’s social safety net.

The bad news is that people who don’t qualify for EI need support after the 12-week extension. The government promised to reform EI and they must act now.

We made recommendations for reforms to the EI program that would help. This is where you can make a difference.

Write a letter to your MP today and demand a long-term plan that protects workers in Canada today.

Sending your MP a message is one of the most impactful actions you can take. As letters start to fill up their inboxes, elected officials will notice. This is your opportunity to put your support for EI reform on the record — so act now.

Thanks for taking this important step,

Hassan Yussuff
President
Canadian Labour Congress
Standing up for workers and their families