The number of EI claims now waiting beyond 28 days has ballooned to 80000. Over the next three years, The Harper government (Conservatives) is going to close the majority of 120 processing centres and shift services to 20 centralized offices (Mostly in conservative ridings) Of the 20 processing centres left, more than half will be in Conservative ridings and only one will be in a Liberal riding. Opposition ridings hardest hit: opposition, unions source: www.cbc.ca Canada adds jobs but unemployment rate swells Job creation in Canada resumed again last month after two straight setbacks, but details in the latest labour report pointed to an economy struggling to achieve lift, particularly in the country's two biggest provinces. Statistics Canada said 17500 jobs were created in December, slightly below expectations, with every province except Quebec registering gains. The good news ended there, however, as all the gains were part-time and among the self-employed. Employers actua! lly shed 13600 workers in December and full-time jobs fell even further, by 25500. Most troubling was that the unemployment rate rose for the third consecutive month to 7.5 per cent, the highest level since April, as an increase in Canadians seeking work pushed the official jobless toll above 1.4 million. source: www.guelphmercury.com Inside Canada's battered EI system Jobless Canadians wait over 8 weeks for EI cheques, minister adds resources to deal with backlog. Automated system rejecting
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