"He's slipping back to that old Reform Party view of the unemployed, that people would rather sit at home receiving a cheque - as paltry as it is - rather than work," Mr. Layton said.
(...)
"People have moved on from that Reform view of things that says that EI is too generous or too lucrative. I think Canadians understand that people who are on EI need EI..."
Unfortunately it's all true. Economists have known for a while that a portion of Canada's unemployment is "structural unemployment" - a component of which comes from some people who are unemployed because Canada's generous welfare state makes it more advantageous for them to be.
It's just an economic fact. Canada's labour market has it, and the only way to get rid of it would be to do things like reducing EI benefits - which is about as likely to happen as Stephane Dion becoming Prime Minister.
So here Iggy Puff and the Dippers come along and suggest making Canada's already overly generous welfare state even more generous.
Harper is right: "absurdity" is the word to use in response.
Poor Layton....he just doesn't understand that as much as EI benefits are not that grest...we need people to WORK during this recession. PMSH is totally right when he comments on that fact. People WILL, especially in the summer, take advantage of these cheques rather than run out right away and find another job. Job hunting is a drag and most people don't really want to do it...I wonder what would happen if we didn't have these programs? As stated by one irate individual here inAlberta...she was furious that she actually had to go out and get a job because her benefits weren't good enough. AAHHHH...poor baby!
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