P.E.I. MP Sean Casey says Liberals will reverse EI working while on claim pilot project

Charlottetown MP Sean Casey says he is "certain" the Liberal government will reverse the controversial working while on claim pilot project that was part of the Harper Conservative's 2012 unemployment insurance reforms.

In September, during the federal election campaign, then Liberal leader, now-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, promised to make sweeping changes to the EI system brought in by the previous government.

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Federal Employment Minister MaryAnn Mihychuk told CBC News on Wednesday that the government's "goal is to have most of the EI changes in 2017."

But Mihychuk said the working while on claim pilot project, which claws back 50 per cent of part-time earnings for those receiving EI benefits, will be renewed for another year after it expires in the spring of 2016.

I remain certain that we will fulfill our promise.- P.E.I. MP Sean Casey

She said that will give the government time to review the program.

Casey told CBC TV's Compass the government will stand by its commitment.

"The pilot project, the working while on claim provisions that were changed under the Conservatives, were hugely unpopular. The sooner we get them fixed and we get our campaign promises implemented the better," said Casey.

"So in a perfect world it would all happen tomorrow. We're not in a perfect world, the wheels of government move slowly. I remain optimistic, in fact, not only optimistic, I remain certain that we will fulfill our promise and will see it. And that certainly it would be preferable to folks in Prince Edward Island and Charlottetown, in particular, if it happens sooner rather than later."

'Disheartened' project being extended

And, although Mihychuk said that there were complaints from Atlantic Canada about the program, other parts of Canada, including some areas out west, prefer the new rules.

"That may well be the case," said Casey. "We made a commitment to change the 2012 changes — that was one of the 2012 changes — and we'll keep our word."

Casey said he expects to be a full participant in the EI reform process. He said he also wants to ensure the reversal of the two-zone administrative split in P.E.I., that was introduced in Oct. 2014.

At the time, Casey called the move, which sees two EI regions — one encompassing the capital area around Charlottetown and the other including the rest of the province — as "manifestly unfair" and politically motivated. The amount of benefits received and the number of hours to qualify for EI are based on the unemployment rate in each region.

Casey said he wants to see the system return to one zone for P.E.I.

President of the Canadian Union of Public Employees in P.E.I. and chair of the P.E.I. Coalition for Fair EI, Lori MacKay said she is "disheartened" to hear the working while on claim project is being extended.

"I understand it's a deadline issue but there's still plenty of time between now and the spring to reverse that very significant working while on claim piece that's been very detrimental to a lot of workers in Prince Edward Island, in the seasonal industries, particularly," she said.

She said she hopes the extension doesn't continue further into the future and that the coalition wants to see the EI program changes "scrapped immediately and to move on it very fast" by consulting with stakeholders including workers and the provinces.