Self employed business people make up 15 per cent of Canada's work force yet are deemed ineligible to contribute to or draw from the Employment Insurance program. In a majority of cases, these individuals hire staff and help build the backbone of our economy. Self employed small business people, therefore, should be able to access the EI fund when business turns sour, when they lose their business altogether, when they become ill or when they have a child.
As an example, I myself run a small business, by myself, in Montague, PEI. It's outdoor work and over the last three months I have only been able to work for clients five days – not all because of weather, many people are just putting things off because of the economy. I can't survive three months with just five days work, nor can anyone. I truly believe that my situation is at the end of it's business life and I will likely seek bankruptcy by next month. But in the meantime, I truly feel the self employed are being short changed by the current eligibility criteria.
As such, I've started a campaign aimed at altering EI rules to admit all self employed so long as they pay into the fund. The mechanism to make this change is already in the Employment Insurance Act: The Commission may, with the approval of the Governor in Council and subject to affirmative resolution of Parliament, make regulations for including in insurable employment the business activities of a person who is engaged in a business, as defined in subsection 248(1) of the Income Tax Act.
It should be noted that a segregated group of “self employed” do have access to EI. That's the fisherpersons, who have been deemed eligible since 1972. But as I said, currently 15 per cent of Canada's work force, or 1.1 million Canadians, are self employed outside that industry – and many are struggling like myself to make ends meet, feed their families and pay their bills.
There are also Charter of Rights and Freedoms issues regarding equality to consider: Every individual is equal before and under the law and has the right to the equal protection and equal benefit of the law without discrimination and, in particular, without discrimination based on race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age or mental or physical disability.
During the last federal election, Sept. 16 to be exact, Stephen Harper made a campaign promise to open up the EI fund to the self employed. While researching this pledge, I found in the fine print that it was directed at women voters and that the changes would only benefit self employed women so they could receive maternity benefits. He made the promise at a spa in downtown Ottawa.
“Self-employed Canadians – and those who one day hope to be – shouldn't have to choose between starting a family and starting a business because of government policy,” Mr. Harper said, according to a CTV report. “They should be able to pursue their dreams – both as entrepreneurs and as parents.”
Well, self employed men don't make babies, so where's the equality in that? And now the promise seems to have slipped from Mr. Harpers agenda.
In bringing this issue and shortcomings in the current legislation forward, I want all Canadians to know how large a presence the self employed have in our economy. Despite that presence, they have been positioned at the back of the line.
It is my hope that this issue will be brought forward and discussed prior to the Jan. 27 budget. In my way of thinking, as I am a Canadian, born and bred to be fair-minded, those that choose to opt in should be required to pay into the fund – but maybe somewhere between employee and employer amounts, since most self employed couldn't afford both.
