Human Resources Minister Diane FinleyDerek Oliver
Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff said cryptically yesterday that he could foresee an election after rejecting enhancements to employment insurance that were announced by the government.
"I can foresee it and I can foresee it in the near future. But I repeat the word foresee," he told reporters. "Let me say it again so it's perfectly clear: I am trying to make Parliament work for Canadians, number one. Number two, I am trying to get EI improved for all Canadians."
The government intends to allow "long-tenured workers" who have been laid off after many years of experience to collect EI benefits while participating in training programs of up to two years - although officials at Human Resources could not say yesterday how many weeks of training are covered under existing EI provisions.
The long-tenured workers will be able to access the benefits earlier if they invest part of their severance packages in their own training.
"It's designed as a two-year plan to help us get through the recession and to help people get the skills that they need for the long term," Human Resources Minister Diane Finley said.
But Mr. Ignatieff said the government's new proposals "don't address the real issue. The real issue is eligibility."
The Liberals want all Canadians to qualify for EI benefits after they have worked 360 hours. At the moment, different areas of the country have different minimum eligibility requirements depending on the local jobless rate.
Mr. Ignatieff also said he is frustrated that the Conservatives have resorted to "fantasy" and "fiction" as they try to discredit the Liberal proposal.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper said last week that the Liberals "are suggesting that what we should do is bring in an EI system where any Canadian, anywhere in the country, in perpetuity, could work 45 days and collect EI benefits for a period up to a year."
In fact, under the Liberal plan, someone with the minimum number of hours would qualify for just 19 weeks of EI, not a full year. And the enhanced benefits would end with the recession.
Senior Liberals said they believe they have a good issue with employment insurance because it highlights Mr. Ignatieff's empathy and sympathy for the average Canadian.
"EI is a major plank and it's a differentiation point between the two parties [Conservative and Liberal] But more will be necessary in terms of 'what are we going to do fix the economy?'" a senior Liberal strategist said.
Meanwhile, Mr. Ignatieff's closest advisers said their boss is not going to blink on this issue.
"Let's see if the NDP or Bloc really care about a national standard and thousands of Canadians losing their jobs," a senior Liberal official said.
There will be no election unless the Liberals can garner the support of both the NDP and the Bloc Québécois. And neither NDP Leader Jack Layton nor Bloc Leader Gilles Duceppe was ready to jump behind Mr. Ignatieff yesterday.
Many Liberals also believe it would be folly for Mr. Ignatieff to try to trigger an election that would go into the summer, because Canadians would not be paying attention.
"But after Labour Day, it's a new ball game," the senior Liberal strategist said.
Still, Mr. Ignatieff is ensuring that everything is ready. Not only has he said he wants a platform by June, his senior advisers, the Red Leaf Team, are meeting regularly.
The team, which will decide whether a response is needed to the Tory attack ads and what that response would be, includes senior adviser Ian Davey; Ottawa government relations consultant Jamie Deacey; long-time Liberal election campaign manager Gordon Ashworth; Abe Schwartz, the creator of the Ignatieff leadership videos in 2006 and 2009; and pollster Michael Marzolini.