The BLOC party has a bill before the House of Commons that would make improvements to Employment Insurance in Canada. The Bill would extend benefits, reduce the hours required to qualify for EI, and increase benefits from 55% of pay to 60%.
The bill has had the support of the opposition parties until now. Liberal leader Ignatieff has decided not to support the bill on the basis he feels it is not fiscally responsible. “This bill is not fiscally responsible,” he told CBC. The Liberals and the NDP had supported the bill at second reading and in committee, but Mr. Ignatieff said it will be a free vote for his MPs.
The Liberals are again voting with the Conservatives, who have refused to extend EI benefits that were approved last winter under pressure from the NDP and BLOC.
Earlier this year the Liberals voted with the Conservatives to sign a free trade agreement with Columbia. The NDP and BLOC voted against that bill due to Columbia's human rights record and attacks on trade unions.
It is appearing more like the old Mouseland story Tommy Douglas would tell. When you are a mouse, just why are you voting for a cat, whatever colour it happens to be, its still a cat.
2 comments:
More legislation from the real Coalition government - Liberal-Conservative.
This is precisely why the Liberals continue to go nowhere in the polls, because they are not really an opposition in any significant sense.
Thanks for posting. We can bet this will not be mentioned by anyone on Liblogs.
I know I would rather a liberal minority, but lots of times they seem to be lock step with the Cons. No wonder the Libs can not get traction.
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