Ottawa, ON – Today, the Hon. Erin O’Toole, Leader of Canada’s Conservatives, introduced his plan to protect gig economy workers by ensuring their access to employment insurance (EI) benefits.
“Millions of Canadians don’t qualify for EI because they’re on contract or only have temporary work,” O’Toole said. “So when a crisis like COVID-19 hit, these workers had no safety net. A Conservative government will provide security to gig economy workers.”
With Canada’s Recovery Plan, Canada’s Conservatives will require gig economy companies to make contributions equivalent to the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) and EI premiums into a new, portable Employee Savings Account every time they pay their workers. The money will grow tax-free and can be used to pay CPP premiums or accumulate savings that will be withdrawn by the worker when they need it.
“The Canadian workplace has changed and the support Canada provides to workers must change as well,” said O’Toole. “Only Canada’s Conservatives have a plan to secure the future for Canadian workers.”