The Employment Insurance programme is seen by the federal government, regardless of which party is in power, as being its cash cow to be used when needed to reduce the deficit even though it doesn't contribute a nickel to the fund.
That charge being levelled by Serge Landry of the Canadian Labour Congress who was in Saint John speaking at a town hall meeting and warning workers the appeal process is being made harder.
Landry tells CHSJ News the E-I programme doesn't have a funding problem at all. In fact, the C-L-C has suggested there's a surplus and benefits could be increased.
Landry says last year in New Brunswick, there were 35 thousand unemployed workers with only 38 hundred available jobs.