ABSTRACT
In 1996-97, Canada implemented a new Employment Insurance Act, replacing the former Unemployment Insurance Act. The Employment Insurance Act contains measures that focus on frequent claimants. When a claimant files for benefits, the previous five years are examined to determine whether the claimant has had any previous claims in that period. In 1998, 80 percent of Canadians who were laid off or quit with just cause were eligible to receive benefits. However, employment insurance does not insure all perils nor address every problem a worker may encounter. Employment insurance was never intended to have all the answers, nor all of the solutions. Nonetheless, employability is an issue at the heart of the core values of Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC). Under HRDC's Youth Employment Strategy, young people have been given information in a publication called Youth Link 1999-2000.
