Lowlight #5: Conservatives impose quotas, fire whistleblower and demonize the unemployed

COUNTDOWN OF CONSERVATIVE FAILURES FOR 2013

Stephen Harper’s Conservatives had a very bad year. Plagued by an expense scandal and cover-up reaching right to the top of the prime minister’s office, Conservatives have shown they are a tired and out-of-gas government.

We are condensing a year’s worth of lowlights into a countdown of the top 15 examples of Conservative blunders, scandals and ineptitude.

LOWLIGHT #5 CONSERVATIVES IMPOSE QUOTAS, FIRE WHISTLEBLOWERS AND DEMONIZE THE UNEMPLOYED

Canadians and their employers pay for the Employment Insurance system, not the government.

Yet Conservatives have mismanaged the Employment Insurance fund, reduced access and – without even consulting the businesses and communities affected – targeted seasonal industries with drastic changes to eligibility.

Stephen Harper’s Conservative government made changes to force EI recipients to accept almost any job, even if it’s located far away and has nothing to do with their field of qualification.

Professionally trained Canadians having trouble finding work can be forced into a most difficult choice – lose their benefits or accept a job in different field at a far lower salary, hurting their entire career.

Conservatives weren’t satisfied just with just gutting EI, they also launched new home investigations against beneficiaries and set quotas on their fraud investigators – even imposing penalties on investigators who didn’t meet their quota.

And when whistleblower Sylvie Therrien bravely exposed these malpractices, she was targeted and eventually fired by the Conservative government. So much for whistleblower protections.

Time and again, Conservatives are happy to treat law-abiding EI recipients as if they were criminals.

Canadians deserve better.

While other leaders have been missing in action, Tom Mulcair has been showing up to work on behalf of Canadians – holding Stephen Harper accountable and putting forward practical solutions to help families make ends meet.