Maritimes continue the burden on Canada

[BHS]

Yes, we've already had several threads dealing with Albertans who believe that their province's policies caused oil to appear below their feet. Also, I wasn't aware that EI qualification varied from region to region, but I may be wrong on that.

If you examine the sidebar under my name you'll note I'm from Southern Ontario. I don't know that EI is specifially geared to apply differently in different regions, but it most certainly applies differently to different industries. Southern Ontario is full of construction workers who make a good living only working part of the year. The one and only time I ever applied for EI (and didn't receive any) I was forced to attend classes geared toward finding a new job. Half of the guys there were in construction. None of them paid any attention to the instructor or filled out anything besides manditory paperwork. They had no intention of looking for work outside of the industry that had laid them off, many of them for the tenth time or more. For them the class was just another hoop that had to be jumped through every year. It makes me ill that these asses make twice as much as I do working half the time, and I'm forced to pay into the scheme that makes it possible. And they're bitter about having to attend the stupid class every year. Ingrate sons of bitches.

[BHS]

I think I heard the numbers of hours required for E.I. in Maritime provinces various according to the unemplyment rate which means, higher unemployment, seasonal workers need less hours to qualify.

This is an almost textbook example of "perverse incentive". There isn't enough work to keep people employed on the East Coast, so we pay them more unemployment benefits so that they can afford to keep living there.

Some of what you say has some merit, hjowever when you have makers of pharmaseuticals moving to places like PEI so they can pay $15.00 per hour instead of $30.00 plus it say a lot about "Big Business." I remember back a few years when Michalin coericed the government of Nova Scotia into passing legislation virtually outlawing the formation of a union at their plant as a condition of moving their plant to that province. Those in government at the time should have been hauled before the human rights commission for violating the rights of the workers to join a union if they chose to.

Your first sentence reflects simple supply and demand. An increased supply of labour decreases the necessity to pay higher wages. People with fewer employment options will work for less. This is the consequence of living in a high unemployment environment, not some Machiavellian scheme on the part of business. Cheaper labour is the only thing that makes the East Coast attractive to business. If the government said, "Sure, you can build a plant there but you have to pay whatever wages you'd have to pay in Alberta" there wouldn't be any point and it wouldn't happen.

I think you'll find that the right to free association is more of a Constitutional right than a human right, the former being an agreed upon social contract applying uniformly to the citizenry of a nation, and the latter being the ad hoc demands of international jetsetting NGO harpies like Bianca Jagger. But it is interesting to me that you think of the UN before the SCOC in resolving domestic issues.

[GreenWhiteandPink]

As someone from Newfoundland and Labrador, I would like to voice my opinions on the issue.

!) First all Atlantic Canadians are not all lazy EI drawing welfare bums, just as Albertan's are not all cowboy hat wearing redneck hicks. There are many hardworking (year round) ppl here, and hundreds of thousands more who couldn't find work have left over the past 20-30 to find work in other parts of Canada. Many of the comments in this thread are just plain ignorant. A 10% unemployment rate means that 9 out of 10 people work right?

2) Seasonal workers drawing EI year after year is wrong I agree. There are many fish plants in Newfoundland that operate in the manner. PPL get hired on in the spring and get 12-16 weeks work and get laid off then draw EI for the rest of the year, complete abuse of the EI system as far as I am concerned. There are numerous communities like this here, with a population of 1000-3000 people that exist solely because of the EI program, if it never worked in this manner these towns would wither and die. The reason why many ppl don't leave is that they can get a full year income. In effect EI is subsidizing these fish plants, by paying fish workers salaries for part of the year.

If the government stopped fish companies from hiring and laying workers yearly this problem would be solved.

Greg said. I've always said that Eastern Canada has serious problems, refusing to migrate west to fill high paying jobs and instead continue their burden on the rest of us taxpayers.

And Greg, as someone who lives in Alberta, I find it surprising that you would make such a statement seeing how there areare 15-20000 people in Fort Mac Misery that moved there from Newfoundland and Labrador, and well as thousands of others across Alberta. Since 1991 over 50000 people have moved from Newfoundland and Labrador to other parts of Canada alone, not counting the other Atlantic provinces.

[Temagami Scourge]

I disagree with Goofy's appraisal of Maritimers. I think many are hard-working, astute, hope to create a niche for themselves and their families and just want to live a productful and peaceful life like anyone else in Canada.

I couldn't possibly paint them as all being bad and lazy like Gooffy does...he says much the same things about Natives when he isn't denigrating their culture, but I do feel an affinity here for all the hardworking, responsible people from PEI who have been thrown into the same basket as those on EI.

Have faith folks. There are many of us who know better than than to group people together to villify them because of the actions of a few. I don't want to be considered a Nazi.

On another note, I also think that the manner in which society has treated us, especially the media, has put it into too many people's heads that they are "better" than many jobs out there. That is why recent immigrants, or in this case, Russians, are needed to hold down the "Joe" jobs as natural-born Canadians view them as inferior.

That is the basis of my disagreement with Gooffy. He likes to blame the people for being lazy and the system for encouraging that, while I see it as the whole system, including the ideas that our parents put into our heads to get an education and don't take some "loser" job.

anyone differ?

[geoffrey]

I disagree with Goofy's appraisal of Maritimers. I think many are hard-working, astute, hope to create a niche for themselves and their families and just want to live a productful and peaceful life like anyone else in Canada.

I think many are hard working as well, I've worked with a few out here. Nothing against Maritimers, just the current situation with some of the maritimers. If only 15ish% are unemployed, that means that 8.5 out of 10 are likely somewhat hard working.

I couldn't possibly paint them as all being bad and lazy like Gooffy does...he says much the same things about Natives when he isn't denigrating their culture, but I do feel an affinity here for all the hardworking, responsible people from PEI who have been thrown into the same basket as those on EI.

I don't see how I've painted them all being bad and lazy, I said the Maritimes are a burden, which they are, and they need to be reformed, which they do. The system is obviously not working when there is high unemployment on one side of the country and on the other side of the country we can't find 5 applicants for a job that pays over $40k a year with little prior experience needed.

Have faith folks. There are many of us who know better than than to group people together to villify them because of the actions of a few. I don't want to be considered a Nazi.

It's not the actions of a few maritimers, its the actions of governments, espeically the one in Ottawa, that has created the problem. This attitude that exists in some maritimers isn't natural, it was created by government policy.

On another note, I also think that the manner in which society has treated us, especially the media, has put it into too many people's heads that they are "better" than many jobs out there. That is why recent immigrants, or in this case, Russians, are needed to hold down the "Joe" jobs as natural-born Canadians view them as inferior.

Completely agreed. There is alot of money being spent in my province now trying to bring up the reputation of the trades so that more people are encouraged to go down that path, and this has been successful.

That is the basis of my disagreement with Gooffy. He likes to blame the people for being lazy and the system for encouraging that, while I see it as the whole system, including the ideas that our parents put into our heads to get an education and don't take some "loser" job.

anyone differ?

Unemployed people in Canada are lazy right now, and the system does encourage that. If you want a job, search for 'employment in Calgary' on google and you'll find scores of positions just waiting for people to apply. Unemployment is a complete choice right now. If we were in a recession, then I'd have sympathy, but right now, I can't possibly feel sorry for them.

If your educated, you shouldn't neccessarily need a 'loser' job unless you refuse to move to another area. There are plenty of jobs for all areas of education in Canada if you are willing to relocate.