Canada's premiers say the Employment Insurance program needs to be "streamlined," and that training programs should get a bigger chunk of the system's funds.
Ottawa should also play a smaller role in administering the program, in order for the system to become more innovative, said Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall, speaking on behalf of his colleagues.
"We talked very specifically about training today," said Wall in Regina on Thursday, during the annual Council of the Federation.
Wall said that currently, legislation mandates that 0.8 per cent of EI contributions be allocated to training, but in reality, only about 0.6 per cent of the money is actually used.
"We're saying, maybe it's time that EI be changed to increase that cap," he said.
Wall also said the current system, which divides the nation into 58 separate regions - all with different eligibility requirements -- should be reformed.
"The program needs to be streamlined," he said.
Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty has been pushing for a single national qualifying standard for EI. Western premiers, meanwhile, are proposing three different qualifying standards based on whether an applicant lives in an urban, rural or remote area.
B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell said his colleagues want to hammer out a common plan they can propose to the federal government, which runs the program.
One belief the premiers seem to share is that it can be very difficult for many jobless Canadians to collect EI benefits, many of whom have paid into the system for years.
Earlier in the day, the premiers said they also wanted to tackle ways in which they combat Washington's controversial "Buy American" program.
"We have to make our voice heard because we can't see the gains that have been made over the past decade begin to erode," New Brunswick Premier Shawn Graham told reporters. "That's what we're concerned about today, that this could be the beginning of a slippery slope if protectionism takes root."
The Canadian government has been lobbying to get the U.S. Congress to keep "Buy American" rules from being tacked on to about US$290 billion in public spending allocated for infrastructure development.
Quebec's Jean Charest said U.S. President Barack Obama has to prove he supports free trade.
"If they cannot, on this issue, come to an agreement with their major trading partner, their ally, their friend, their neighbour, then what does that say about the Americans' attitude on trade worldwide?" Charest asked. "I think this a test for them and hopefully they will respond to what is a very reasonable request on behalf of Canada."
Once the provincial governments forge an open procurement process, federal Trade Minister Stockwell Day has said he'll take the agreement to Washington and ask for a similar fair trade arrangement with the U.S. government.
Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty said Canada's trade relationship with the U.S. is a matter of reciprocity.
"We need to impress upon them the need for us to have access to their business, in the same way they want access to our business," McGuinty said, adding that he would like the premiers to give the federal government "a strong mandate" to negotiate with Washington on free trade.
McGuinty also called for a summit to discuss Canada's pension plan, on his way into the meeting. He said a recent study shows that by 2030, two-thirds of Canadians won't have enough retirement income to live on.
"This is an issue that is in some ways independent of this global recession, but the recession has exacerbated or has highlighted some of the challenges associated with folks who don't have an adequate level of retirement income."
With files from The Canadian Press
