Difference between revisions of "Introduction to Employment Insurance (8:I)"

== B. General ==

Employment Insurance (“'''EI'''”) is a federal social insurance scheme that operates on a contributory basis. It provides benefits to eligible workers who experience job loss or are unable to work due to reasons such as illness, pregnancy, or caring for a newborn/newly adopted child or an ill family member (or someone considered to be like a family member). Service Canada and the Canada Employment Insurance Commission (“the Commission”) administer and act as the registry for the system.

In accordance with the ''Employment Insurance Act'', SC 1996, c 23 [the “'''''EI Act'''''”], both employees and employers are required to contribute to the payment of premiums. It is important to note that payment of premiums alone does not automatically guarantee entitlement to benefits for job loss. Before benefits can be granted, specific criteria (outlined in [[Qualifying for Employment Insurance (8:III)|'''Section III: Qualifying for EI''']]) must be satisfied.

The appeal process for Employment Insurance operates as a multistage system. The progression of decisions and appeals under the Employment Insurance regime is as follows:

# in exceptional cases, the claimant applies to the Federal Court of Appeal for Judicial Review;

# in rare instances, the claimant appeals the court’s decision to the Supreme Court of Canada (“'''SCC'''”) – cases will usually only proceed to the SCC if the disputed issue is of '''national significance'''.

A separate appeal structure exists for cases concerning the insurability of employment. This structure is set out in Section [[Reconsideration of Employment Insurance Decisions (8:XII)|'''XII.B.1 – Insurability Decisions.''']]

== C. Deadlines for Appeals ==