what is employment insurance ei 
employment insurance ei is an unemployment insurance program in canada that allows individuals who have recently lost a job to receive temporary financial assistance employment insurance can also be extended to individuals who are unable to work because of illness or who are caring for a young child or a seriously ill family member in addition to financial assistance the program assists the unemployed with job search services 1understanding employment insurance ei the employment insurance act replaced the unemployment insurance act of 1996 the updated scheme was designed to link unemployment benefits with wages and to reduce penalties for those who could only find temporary work to qualify for benefits individuals must work a certain number of hours and the length of time for which benefits are provided depends on an individual s geographic region s unemployment rate employment insurance offers a wide range of benefits to those who qualify for them employers contribute 1 4 times the amount of employee premiums 2 since 1990 there has been no government contribution to this fund the amount a person receives and how long they can stay on ei varies with their previous salary how long they were working and the unemployment rate in their area ei birthing benefits are offered to biological birthing parents including surrogate people who cannot work because they are pregnant or have recently given birth and parents of a newly adopted child 3a maximum of 15 weeks of ei birthing benefits is available and according to the canadian government website if a child has been born or placed with you after march 17 2019 you may be eligible for 5 extra weeks of standard parental care benefits or 8 extra weeks of extended parental benefits depending on your circumstances 3benefits can be paid as early as 12 weeks before the expected date of birth and can end as late as 17 weeks after the actual date of birth the weekly benefit rate is 55 of the claimant s average weekly insurable earnings up to a maximum amount 4ei sickness assistance provides benefits to people who are unable to work because of sickness injury or quarantine applicants can receive up to a maximum of 15 weeks of ei sickness benefits 5ei also offers compassionate care benefits which are paid to people who have to be away from work temporarily to provide care or support to a family member or who is gravely ill themselves with a significant risk of death a maximum of 26 weeks of compassionate care benefits may be paid to eligible people 6special considerationsover half of ei benefits are paid in ontario and the western provinces however ei is especially important in the atlantic provinces where there are more unemployed persons part of the reason why is that many atlantic province workers are employed in seasonal work such as fishing forestry or tourism they go on ei over the winter when there is no work there are special rules for fisherfolk making it easier for them to collect employment insurance 