What the New EI Rules Mean

Produced by the Mowat Centre at the School of Public Policy and Governance, University of Toronto.The federal government is making changes to the Employment Insurance system. This policy brief explains what they mean. This report takes stock of the recent changes to EI and provides in-depth analysis of what they mean for Canadians. Our conclusion is that the package of reforms does very little to address the structural problems with the system. Despite the fact that the reforms have raised concerns in Atlantic Canada, rural Canada, and seasonal industries, the reforms are likely to have a disproportionately negative impact on young, urban, and immigrant workers and businesses in Ontario and the Western provinces. Although there are some positive features in this package of changes, another round of reforms is clearly needed