We wanted to take a quick moment to update you this weekend on a major win in our ongoing fight to protect you—a valued member of our union.
This week we learned that the federal government has heard your voices and listened to our union’s advocacy to strengthen the current Employment Insurance (EI) system with new reforms to better protect all workers, but especially frontline healthcare workers who continue to go above and beyond through the pandemic.
The proposed new and improved EI reforms include:
- The Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit (CRSB) – $500 per week for up to two weeks for workers who are sick or must self-isolate for reasons related to COVID-19. If your employer refused to compensate you for time required to quarantine, this new benefit will put more money in your pockets.
- The Canada Recovery Caregiving Benefit (CRCB) – $500 per week for up to 26 weeks per household for Canadians unable to work because they must care for a child under 12 due to school or daycare closures because of COVID-19. This will be especially helpful for work mothers and fathers who face uncertainty with their children’s schools and that’s good news for your family.
You may qualify for these and additional benefits and we’ll be sure to keep you updated on any changes as they occur. Applications for the new benefits are scheduled to open in October, after a vote in parliament. You can read more about the proposed plans here.
While the provincial government at Queen’s Park continues to put the interests of wealthy executives ahead of the needs of hardworking healthcare heroes, our union will continue to work with the federal government in Ottawa to push for progress—just like we did this week.
We won’t stop fighting for you.