The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Jonathon Naylor Editor MP Niki Ashton is enlisting northern Manitobans in her battle against incoming Employment Insurance changes. She has launched a petition asking the Harper government not to proceed with the controversial modifications first announced earlier this year. 'The point of our campaign is to have the North be heard,' Ashton said during a July 6 media conference call. Ashton said the changes will disproportionately impact northern Manitoba given its heavy reliance on seasonal jobs. Under the changes, the many seasonal workers who are frequent EI claimants would no longer have such an easy time receiving benefits during their off season. During the first six weeks of benefits, they would have to take a job offered as long as it's in a similar occupation and pays at least 80 per cent of their normal wage. After six weeks, they would have to take any job paying at least 70 per cent of their normal wage or risk losing benefits. All claimants would be required to accept jobs within an hour's commute of home, though there will apparently be exceptions for remote communities such as those of northern Manitoba. These and other EI changes are expected to be implemented by early 2013. Ashton said seasonal work is 'a point of pride' for many communities in her riding, whether it's construction, forest-firefighting, logging, tourism or fishing. 'For many of our communities, these are the only jobs that exist in any real numbers,' she said. MLA on board Joining Ashton in her campaign is Doyle Vermette, the NDP MLA for Cumberland, a riding that includes Creighton and Denare Beach. 'To go ahead and just implement changes...without consulting the individuals that will be impacted, and the families that will be impacted by the changes, is totally disrespectful,' he said. 'There's many people that could be and will be impacted.' Vermette fears the changes will damage not only the economy of northern Saskatchewan, but that of the province as a whole. Ashton accused the Tories of inactivity on northern job creation, pointing to budget cuts to economic development programming and what she sees as insufficient investment in job training. She and Vermette will have copies of the petition with them as they visit constituents throughout the summer. Copies may also be downloaded from Ashton's website, Nikiashton.ndp.ca. The petition cannot be signed online.
