Fix EI Now!
Hundreds of thousands of Canadian workers have lost their jobs in the last five years. The job loss crisis, which had been largely confined to manufacturing and forestry, is now spreading across the economy to sectors such as construction, resources, tourism, transportation, retail and hospitality.
Workers who are forced out of their jobs are clearly not at fault, but many are having great difficulty finding other employment. These workers are being forced into unemployment for longer periods of time and without even the minimal level of Employment Insurance support that was available during the last recession. EI rates are at a historic low and currently only 42 per cent of unemployed Canadians qualify for EI benefits at any given time.
Workers need emergency relief now. The CAW is calling for emergency measures that protect workers who are losing their jobs, incomes, pensions and homes. The CAW is calling on both the federal and provincial governments to step in immediately to make necessary changes to the EI system, strengthen provisions around severance pay and pension protections and improve access to training.
Here's what you can do:
1. Download a leaflet on emergency measures for laid off workers.
Free trade with the European Union is a bad idea for Canada
The Harper government's relentless push to sign a new Canada-EU free trade deal would undermine the rights of federal, provincial and municipal governments to manage public spending over goods and services; it would privatize public services like drinking water, prevent us from adopting strong measures to combat climate change and wipe out up to 150,000 Canadian jobs, among a long list of additional concerns. CAW President Ken Lewenza says:
So far, all signs point to a free trade deal that is lopsided, unfair and would do more harm than good to Canadians. 
