Cariboo-Prince George Conservative MP Dick Harris introduced Tuesday a private members bill to end extended qualifying and benefit periods for convicted criminals seeking Employment Insurance.
While most Canadians must work a certain number of hours within 52 weeks to qualify for a claim and are then limited to 52 weeks of collection from the date of that claim, criminals can extend their qualifying period and benefits period by the time they were in prison up to 104 weeks.
"Those who have been incarcerated are receiving preferential treatment over hard working, law abiding citizens," Harris said in a statement.
Criminals who qualified for benefits before incarceration are allowed to extend their benefits by the number of weeks they were confined because they were unavailable for work during their confinement.
"Should a convicted felon, an individual found to have willfully committed a criminal act, be given preferential access to Employment Insurance benefits simply because they were confined to jail? I think the answer is clearly, no", Harris said.
Skeena-Bulkley Valley MP Nathan Cullen could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
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