241 - CFIB wins huge victory on Employment Insurance
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Due to the economic downturn, the Employment Insurance (EI) account was in a multi-billion dollar deficit that could have been avoided had a surplus of $57 billion not been spent on other priorities. To deal with this deficit, the government planned to increase EI rates to their maximum levels - $0.15 for employees per $100 of earnings and $0.21 for employers - over the next three years. This would have crippled job growth at the worst possible time.
CFIB was the first to stand up and fight back. Over the last six months, extensive lobbying across Canada, hundreds of media appearances combined with incredible feedback from our members via postcards (see left), posters and messages on our Facebook page all led to an important victory. The government announced that EI rates would increase by $0.05 for employees and $0.07 for employers, only a third of what was planned. This translates to over one billion dollars in savings for all Canadians. The government will also limit future increases to no more than $0.10 for employees and $0.14 for employers. Your input was central to achieving this important victory!
Victory!
Catherine Swift (left) at the EI announcement with Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty (right).
