EI system has failed Alberta workers

EDMONTON - The federal government's new Employment Insurance system has failed to provide working people in Alberta with kind of protection they need and deserve, says Audrey Cormack, president of the Alberta Federation of Labour.

That's the message that Cormack will deliver to a travelling parliamentary panel when it stops in Edmonton tomorrow.

The panel is chaired by Yvon Godin, a Nova Scotia MP and EI critic for the federal New Democrat caucus. Godin has been travelling the country since before Christmas in order to gather information about the impact of changes made to the EI system in 1996.

"Mr. Godin says he wants to get a clear picture of what effect the changes have had on the lives of ordinary Canadians," says Cormack. "Well, here in Alberta the situation is clear - only a tiny fraction of the unemployed currently qualify benefits under the new rules. The EI system is no longer there for Canadians when they need it."

The EI panel will be meeting between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. tomorrow (Tuesday, January 12) in Ballroom B of the Howard Johnson Hotel - located at 10010-104 Street in downtown Edmonton.

Cormack is scheduled to give her presentation to the panel at 10 a.m. Godin will be available to answer questions during breaks throughout the day. At 3 p.m., Godin will summarize what he has heard during the day.

For more information call:
Gil McGowan, Communications Director: 483-3021

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