OTTAWA - Conservatives have issued a thinly veiled ultimatum to Michael Ignatieff: Drop your proposal for easier access to employment insurance or there'll be no election-averting deal on EI reform.
The Liberal leader is advocating a single national standard of 360 hours of work to qualify for EI. That's less stringent than the current regime, which requires from 420 to 700 hours of work depending on local jobless rates.
But Conservative MP Pierre Poilievre, a member of the bipartisan working group struck last month to negotiate an agreement with the Liberals on EI reforms, says the Harper government will "never" accept Ignatieff's proposal.
"The bottom line is we're not going to be supporting the notion that someone could collect EI for almost a year after working only 360 hours or nine weeks," Poilievre said in an interview Friday.
"All the costing shows that a nine-week work year would cost billions and the only way to fund it is through higher taxes, so we can't support that proposal."
Poilievre noted that Ignatieff is well aware Prime Minister Stephen Harper has repeatedly and categorically rejected the idea. He said it's therefore surprising the Liberal leader chose to reiterate his preference for a 360-hour standard just as members of the bipartisan working group were embarking Thursday on their first meeting.
Ignatieff said Thursday that Liberals believe "very strongly" a single national eligibility requirement is crucial. He said he's willing to entertain "a certain flexibility on 360 but not that much."
Poilievre wouldn't go so far as to say the working group is doomed if Ignatieff doesn't back down. But he left no doubt that Ignatieff's proposal is a non-starter.
"The government will not support a nine-week work year. That I can say with certainty," he said.
"I think our goal is for an agreement. It remains to be seen whether he (Ignatieff) is prepared to abandon a nine-week work year."
Harper and Ignatieff agreed last month to strike the working group of three Conservatives and three Liberals as part of a bid to avert a summer election.
As part of the deal, Liberals insisted they get another opportunity to defeat Harper's minority government in a confidence vote on Sept. 30 should negotiations fail to satisfy their demand for EI reform.
The talks got off to a rocky start Thursday with Ignatieff slamming the government for dragging its feet and showing little interest in EI reform.
Poilievre said Tories were "a little bit surprised" that Ignatieff chose to kick off the negotiations by going "on the attack."
The talks opened amid some confusion over Harper's suggestion last month that EI will be extended to self-employed Canadians. It's not clear whether Harper meant the self-employed will get full access to all benefits under the EI program or only to maternity and parental benefits, as promised during last fall's election campaign.
Poilievre said such details will be explored by the working group.
