DAWSON CITY, Yukon - Canada's western premiers are pushing for a rebuilt employment insurance program that drastically reduces regional qualifications that make it easier for some Canadians to receive benefits than others.
The leaders from the western provinces and northern territories said Thursday they will submit a single joint proposal to reform EI to the newly created federal panel that has yet to officially name all of its members.
Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach said the western proposal will likely suggest eligibility for EI be based on three, nation-wide regions -- urban, rural or remote -- as opposed to separate regions from within provinces.
The western premiers will also ask Ottawa to use employment insurance money to fund job skills and job retraining programs for unemployed workers.
"An unemployed family, whether they live in Nova Scotia, Quebec or Alberta, are equally unemployed," said Stelmach.
"I believe there's something like 58 regions (with different EI qualification periods), with additional bureaucracy attached to it," he said.
Leaders from the four western provinces and two of the three territorial leaders are in Dawson City, Yukon for their annual western premiers conference. Nunavut Premier Eva Aariak is not at the meetings due to an ongoing legislative session in Nunavut.
Stelmach said the western initiative is looking for major changes to the current employment insurance system.
"That in itself will begin the road map to improving employment insurance," he said.
The federal panel examining EI was announced Wednesday after meetings between Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Opposition Leader Michael Ignatieff, meetings which likely held off a summer federal election.
Even before the western premiers met, B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell sent a letter to Ottawa calling for the federal government to drop regional qualifications that make it easier for some Canadians to receive payments than others.
Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall said Saskatchewan has been focusing its employment initiatives on training and retraining workers, but Ottawa would greatly improve the federal EI program if it contributed more funds and focused on nationwide retraining ventures.
"This is a federal program. It needs to be funded by the federal government," he said. "We think it's up to the federal government to fund this and to make the changes that make sure it's for the country."
Wall said the joint western proposal gives the provinces and territories more political clout in Ottawa, rather than single proposals from each province and territory.
Manitoba Premier Gary Doer left the meetings Thursday, saying he is off to Washington, D.C. to speak to American business leaders about promoting free trade between Canada in the United States despite tough economic times and increasing protectionist sentiments on both sides of the border.
Doer said recent buy-American and buy-Canadian policies in both countries fail to take into account that many Canadian and American products are co-produced and it is always difficult to unscramble what he calls a trade omelette.
He said he will use a Manitoba example where U.S. Flyer buses are partially made in Canada and the United States.
"U.S. Vice-President Joe Biden was in Minnesota a couple of weeks ago talking about Flyer buses," said Doer.
"Well, part of those buses are built in Winnipeg, part of them are built in St. Cloud, Minnesota. This is really a trade omelette and trying to unscramble it doesn't make any sense."
Doer echoed earlier statements by Campbell who said it is difficult for Canada to ask the Americans to drop their buy-America policy when Canadian municipalities recently adopted buy-Canada positions.
"This is a tough message in the United States and it's not been made easier by a resolution from our municipalities to have a buy-Canadian clause. The intent was to help us but it actually hurts us and it's going to cost jobs, and that's the serious topic we've got to talk about today."
