Months after having their babies, some parents are still waiting to receive benefits from Canada’s employment insurance program, which has been overloaded during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s been a complete financial change and strain for us,” said Alanna Los of Brandon, Man., who had her second child July 1. “I’ve been literally on the phone every day almost for the past three months.”
Normally, people applying for parental benefits should expect to wait only about one month for their first payment, according to the federal government’s website. But with millions of Canadians unemployed or under-employed during the pandemic, strain on the employment insurance (EI) system is likely causing delays.
While she was pregnant, Los was on sick leave from her job as a nurse after she was rear-ended in a car crash. Two days after her daughter was born, she called Service Canada to switch over her sick leave payments to her parental leave benefits. The agent with whom she spoke confirmed the change was made and said she was approved, Los said.
Months later, Los said, she hasn’t received any support from the government.
She has had to dip into her savings to pay bills, she said.
Los isn’t alone. When she posted about her issues on a Facebook group, several mothers shared similar stories, she said.
“This is a system you’re supposed to be dependant on, but it’s not there for moms right now,” Los said.
‘I’m completely broke’
Leta Jonasson had her son Aug. 12, and has maxed out her credit card waiting for her parental benefit since his birth, she said.
“It’s been pretty stressful,” said the Winnipeg mom, whose spouse was also laid off during the pandemic.
Alanna Los has been waiting on her parental benefits since the birth of her daughter on July 1. Experts suggest delays are in part due to the strain of paying out emergency benefits to four million Canadians who are unemployed or under-employed because of the pandemic. (Submitted by Alanna Los)
Jonasson, 26, who also has another child, worked as a retail store manager, but she’s been off since March because of the pandemic. She had been receiving support from the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB), but those payments stopped when she applied for parental benefits, she said.
“I’m completely broke until I get my maternity leave benefit,” Jonasson said.
She said she feels lucky to have family and a partner who support her as much as possible and can’t imagine what others who don’t have that safety net would do.
“If I didn’t have their help, I’d really be in a bad spot because of bills and everything,” Jonasson said.
Two mothers in Ontario also told CBC News they’ve been waiting more than two months for their parental benefits.
CBC News reached out to Service Canada, but the agency declined to answer questions about ongoing service delays.
“The department understands the difficulties that any delay in benefit payments can cause to claimants and their families, and is working to address the issue as soon as possible,” spokesperson Marie-Eve Sigouin-Campeau said.
‘System is not designed for this’
Service delays are likely due to the strain the government is under having to pay emergency benefits to four million Canadians who are unemployed or under-employed because of the pandemic, one expert says.
At the time, the government said it was working to increase the number of agents taking calls and pursuing additional measures to increase the automation of calls.
There’s likely still a backlog in trying to deal with the high number of people collecting CERB, EI and other government benefits, said Moshe Lander, a lecturer in the department of economics at Concordia University in Montreal.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced July 31 that the government would transition recipients of the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) to employment insurance (EI). (CBC )
“I think it’s just the nature of trying to process this many claims in extremely irregular circumstances,” said Lander. “The system is not designed for this. And so, of course, it’s not going to work properly.”
‘She-cession’
Bureaucratic hurdles are putting added stress on a demographic that’s already facing a great deal of hardship because of the pandemic, said Katherine Scott of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.
“Women continue to be unemployed in greater numbers and are still working reduced hours in the jobs they do have,” she said. “This has certainly been a she-cession, as it’s been coined.”
WATCH | Manitoba mothers on the financial impact of waiting for parental benefits:
Months after giving birth, some new parents are still waiting to receive parental benefits from Canada’s Employment Insurance program. 1:59
On top of that, the glitches with accessing CERB, EI and parental benefits mean some people are falling through the cracks, she said.
“It’s just crazy-making in the face of acute stress for many, many families,” Scott said.
Human Resources Officers must be very busy these days what with the general turnover of employees in our retail and business sectors. It is hard enough to find skilled people let alone potential employees willing to be trained. Then after the training, a few weeks go by then they come to you and ask for a raise. You refuse as there simply is no excess money in the budget and away they fly to wherever they come from, trained but not willing to put in the time to achieve that wanted raise.
I have had potentials come in and we give them a test to see if they do indeed know how to weld, polish or work with wood. 2-10 we hire, and one of those is gone in a week or two. Ask that they want overtime, and their laughter leaving the building is loud and unsettling. Housing starts are doing well but way behind because those trades needed to finish a project simply don’t come to the site, with delay after delay. Some people’s attitudes are just too funny. A recent graduate from a Ivy League university came in for an interview. The position was mid-management potential, but when we told them a three month period was needed and then they would make the big bucks they disappeared as fast as they arrived.
Government agencies are really no help, sending us people unsuited or unwilling to carry out the jobs we offer. Handing money over to staffing firms whose referrals are weak and ineffectual. Perhaps with the Fall and Winter upon us, these folks will have to find work and stop playing on the golf course or cottaging away. Tried to hire new arrivals in Canada but it is truly difficult to find someone who has a real identity card and is approved to live and work here. Who do we hire? Several years ago my father’s firm was rocking and rolling with all sorts of work. It was a summer day when the immigration officers arrived and 30+ employees hit the bricks almost immediately. The investigation that followed had threats of fines thrown at us by the officials. Good thing we kept excellent records, photos and digital copies. We had to prove the illegal documents given to us were as good as the real McCoy.
Restauranteurs, builders, manufacturers, finishers, trades-based firms, and warehousing are all suspect in hiring illegals, yet that becomes secondary as Toronto increases its minimum wage again bringing our payroll up another $120,000. Survival in Canada’s financial and business sectors is questionable for many. Good luck Chuck!. at least your carbon tax refund check should be arriving soon.
NORMAN WELLS, N.W.T. – Imperial Oil says it will temporarily reduce its fuel prices in a Northwest Territories community that has seen costs skyrocket due to low water on the Mackenzie River forcing the cancellation of the summer barge resupply season.
Imperial says in a Facebook post it will cut the air transportation portion that’s included in its wholesale price in Norman Wells for diesel fuel, or heating oil, from $3.38 per litre to $1.69 per litre, starting Tuesday.
The air transportation increase, it further states, will be implemented over a longer period.
It says Imperial is closely monitoring how much fuel needs to be airlifted to the Norman Wells area to prevent runouts until the winter road season begins and supplies can be replenished.
Gasoline and heating fuel prices approached $5 a litre at the start of this month.
Norman Wells’ town council declared a local emergency on humanitarian grounds last week as some of its 700 residents said they were facing monthly fuel bills coming to more than $5,000.
“The wholesale price increase that Imperial has applied is strictly to cover the air transportation costs. There is no Imperial profit margin included on the wholesale price. Imperial does not set prices at the retail level,” Imperial’s statement on Monday said.
The statement further said Imperial is working closely with the Northwest Territories government on ways to help residents in the near term.
“Imperial Oil’s decision to lower the price of home heating fuel offers immediate relief to residents facing financial pressures. This step reflects a swift response by Imperial Oil to discussions with the GNWT and will help ease short-term financial burdens on residents,” Caroline Wawzonek, Deputy Premier and Minister of Finance and Infrastructure, said in a news release Monday.
Wawzonek also noted the Territories government has supported the community with implementation of a fund supporting businesses and communities impacted by barge cancellations. She said there have also been increases to the Senior Home Heating Subsidy in Norman Wells, and continued support for heating costs for eligible Income Assistance recipients.
Additionally, she said the government has donated $150,000 to the Norman Wells food bank.
In its declaration of a state of emergency, the town said the mayor and council recognized the recent hike in fuel prices has strained household budgets, raised transportation costs, and affected local businesses.
It added that for the next three months, water and sewer service fees will be waived for all residents and businesses.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.
TORONTO – A new report says many Canadian business leaders are worried about economic uncertainties related to the looming U.S. election.
The survey by KPMG in Canada of 735 small- and medium-sized businesses says 87 per cent fear the Canadian economy could become “collateral damage” from American protectionist policies that lead to less favourable trade deals and increased tariffs
It says that due to those concerns, 85 per cent of business leaders in Canada polled are reviewing their business strategies to prepare for a change in leadership.
The concerns are primarily being felt by larger Canadian companies and sectors that are highly integrated with the U.S. economy, such as manufacturing, automotive, transportation and warehousing, energy and natural resources, as well as technology, media and telecommunications.
Shaira Nanji, a KPMG Law partner in its tax practice, says the prospect of further changes to economic and trade policies in the U.S. means some Canadian firms will need to look for ways to mitigate added costs and take advantage of potential trade relief provisions to remain competitive.
Both presidential candidates have campaigned on protectionist policies that could cause uncertainty for Canadian trade, and whoever takes the White House will be in charge during the review of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement in 2026.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 22, 2024.
