Feds set temporary minimum unemployment rate for EI program

FILE - Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion Minister Carla Qualtrough responds to a question during a news conference Tuesday June 16, 2020 in Ottawa. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld)

Barrie, Ont. — The federal government announced it is setting a temporary minimum unemployment rate for the Employment Insurance (EI) program for all EI economic regions.

As the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) comes to an end, the government is working to get people back into the EI program as many individuals remain out of work amid the pandemic.

The CERB began in March and offered payments of $500 weekly to those who qualified for up to 24 weeks.

The Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion announced that a temporary minimum unemployment rate of 13.1 per cent would be applied to all EI economic regions in Canada.

"As we carefully and gradually restart parts of our economy, we recognize that many Canadian workers continue to face challenges. The temporary use of a national minimum unemployment rate for the EI program will help more people access EI regular benefits and provide eligible Canadians with access to a minimum 26 weeks of benefits," explained Minister Carla Qualtrough.

The federal government plans to transition as many Canadians as possible back to the Employment Insurance system by the end of the month.

This is the first in a series of steps Ottawa is taking to "help eligible Canadians transition from emergency income measures back into the EI system."

Employment Insurance regular benefits provide income support to individuals who lose their jobs through no fault of their own and can work, but can't find a job.