Canada’s Unemployment Insurance a rip-off

[stf410]

Just imagine working for 10 to 20 years paying into Unemployment Insurance (UI), and for the first time you are unemployed you only receive 55% of 1 year of your income.

What happened to all those years of money you have contributed to UI?

How can the Canadian government justify their insurance system?

 

[Toro]

Because UI isn't really insurance.

 

[Said1]

No kidding. I filed for the first time in my life, back in January. What a friggin hassle AND I got docked some time for going to University. Geez.

 

[Gurdari]

You mean this liberal Canuckistan isn't throwing money at everyone with a pulse?
Quelle surprise. Talk to the PCs, you likely just need a hand up, not a hand out.
Bootstraps, I believe, is what you use to pull yourself up.

 

[The_Halfmoon]

I was recently laid off, and I applied a month ago or so

now it appears they don't have the proper birthday on file, so i have to go there and probably fill out 20 forms

yay bureaucracy

 

[Jay Canuck]

well how can the government make money off of UI if they hand out most of what you used to earn to ya?

 

[Emma]

A year, huh?

How much in benefits do I get and for how long?:

Your monetary determination will show the Amount and Duration of Benefits you are entitled to based on your base period wages. Your Weekly Benefit Amount is determined by the two quarters with the highest earnings during the base period. Total wages reported during the base period determine your maximum benefit amount. Once your claim is established and reflects all earnings during your base period, the amount you qualify for remains the same for one year and is available to you until your maximum benefit amount or your benefit year is exhausted, whichever comes first.
Currently the maximum weekly benefit amount is $378 and the minimum is $54. Individuals must have earned at least $18,900.01 in two quarters during the base period to qualify for the maximum weekly benefit amount. Benefit duration varies from 12 to 26 weeks, also depending on wages earned in the base period.

So, if you make $37,800/year you'll earn 52% of your wages for a maximum of 26 weeks. If you earned more, the percentage is lower.

'Course, you don't get the full 52%, because your benefits are taxed.

Yay Virginia.

What if I have a lengthy period of unemployment?:

As the length of unemployment increases, you are expected to expand your methods of seeking work. You should be willing to include other occupations for which you are qualified as a result of prior training or experience.

In other words, you're SOL