Bruske: Government ought to tax company profiteers to pay for extending expiring EI measures
OTTAWA, Aug. 16, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Improving inflation numbers are a hopeful signal, however there’s nonetheless an affordability disaster dealing with employees and their households, cautioned Bea Bruske, President of the Canadian Labour Congress.
Today’s barely improved CPI numbers confirmed costs nonetheless rising at 7.6% in July, effectively forward of common wage progress. Groceries have been up 9.9% – the biggest rise since 1981. Prices for fundamentals like bread, eggs, fruit, and occasional and tea have been all up sharply.
“Despite inflation finally slowing from the 40-year record increases we have seen this year, workers are seeing their purchasing power going backwards with every paycheque,” mentioned Bruske. “To make matters worse, when expanded access to Employment Insurance expires in just six weeks workers could face trouble qualifying for benefits.”
With EI measures set to run out in September, Bruske mentioned authorities motion is required to verify 1000’s of employees aren’t left behind. For some employees employed throughout the pandemic, returning to the outdated Harper-era EI guidelines might imply they quickly don’t qualify in any respect.
“Unemployed workers will face a 66% jump in hours required to qualify for EI, much tougher restrictions on who can get benefits, and clawbacks of their severance and vacation pay,” defined Bruske. “It’s the wrong time for the government to abandon people losing their jobs. We are urging the government to extend temporary measures until the EI program can be permanently improved, as the government has promised to do.”
Bruske added that it’s vital employees aren’t made to pay for an affordability disaster they didn’t create, significantly whereas some firms benefit from the state of affairs to extract outrageous earnings.
“While many workers struggle to afford essentials, we have seen some corporations take advantage of rising inflation and supply chain issues to rack up their prices and rake in record profits. That’s unfair,” concluded Bruske. “Other countries have moved to tax these corporate super profits. It’s time Canada’s government did the same in order to help families struggling the most and extend EI help to those who need it.”
