This is bad news not just in itself, but for what it says about the numbers of people applying for EI and the lack of preparedness on the part of the Harper government. It seems they really did believe what they were saying about the economic fundamentals being stong.
Complaints are being received from the newly jobless that they are
being told they must wait longer than the usual 28 days to receive any
assistance from the employment insurance program.
That means workers who are handed pink slips next week may not receive their first cheque until early February.
A spokeswoman for Service Canada - the one-stop agency that is the
interface between the federal government and Canadians - said that,
during the second week of December, 82.3 per cent of EI claims were
processed within 28 days.
But when The Globe and Mail called Service Canada yesterday, the
worker answering the phone said the time required to process EI
applications had stretched from 28 to 40 days.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20081219.wcheques19/B...