Changes to the Canadian Employment Insurance Act, making the rules a little easier, are now law. Amendments the federal government hopes will undo some of the harm done by the 1996 overhaul of the Employment Insurance (EI) system were first introduced in September 2000, but did not get through the House before an election was called. They were re-introduced in February 2001.

Many of the changes are retroactive. Human Resources and Development Canada (HRDC), the organization responsible for the Employment Insurance program, will adjust payments automatically. Also, the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency (CCRA) will automatically reassess affected tax returns and issue the appropriate refunds.

The amendments mostly affect seasonal workers, parents returning to the workforce and first time employment insurance claimants. Human Resources and Development Minister Jane Stewart admitted that some of the 1996 measures had been "less effective than we had anticipated and in some cases punitive, particularly to seasonal workers and women."

Changes include the removal of penalties for thousands of seasonal workers who rely on Canadian Employment Insurance benefits during the winter. The threshold level at which claimants must repay benefits has been removed entirely for first time users of the program, and raised by nearly $10,000 for others.

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