FTR Now
New and Extended EI Relief Measures Now in Force
Date: October 13, 2026
The federal government has extended the application of certain temporary Employment Insurance (EI) relief measures and introduced a new temporary measure that limits the impact of a prior disqualification on a claimant’s EI benefit entitlement where the claimant is subsequently re-employed.
The amendments to the Employment Insurance Regulations (Regulations) came into force on October 11, 2026.
Temporary Relief Measures Extended into 2027
Various temporary EI relief measures have been introduced since April 2025 to address the economic consequences related to the ongoing trade dispute with the United States.
This most recent amendment to the Regulations will:
- Extend the suspension of allocation and repayment rules for separation-related payments by an additional year, to October 9, 2027
- Extend the waiver of the one-week waiting period for EI claims by an additional year, to October 9, 2027
- Extend the measure providing an additional 20 weeks of EI benefits for eligible long-tenured workers by eight months, to June 12, 2027
New Rule Limiting Disqualifications Where a Claimant Returns to Insurable Employment
The amendment also introduced a new temporary EI relief measure that limits the impact of a prior disqualification on a claimant’s EI benefit entitlement where the claimant is subsequently re-employed. The new measure applies to benefit periods beginning from October 11, 2026 through October 9, 2027, inclusive.
Previously, claimants would be disqualified from receiving EI benefits if they voluntarily left employment without just cause or were terminated for misconduct. To access EI benefits following a disqualification, the claimant would have subsequently to return to insurable employment for the requisite number of insurable hours needed to re-qualify.
Under the new temporary EI relief measure, a claimant who was terminated for misconduct or left employment without just cause will not be disqualified if the claimant is subsequently re-employed in insurable employment for any length of time. As a result, a claimant who was previously disqualified will not be required to accumulate the requisite number of insurable hours entirely after the second interruption of earnings.
In effect, the claimant’s insurable hours accumulated during the prior employment can be included in the assessment of EI eligibility, provided the most recent employment did not end with the claimant voluntary leaving without just cause or termination for misconduct.
Should you have any questions regarding the EI relief measures, please contact a member of the firm’s Pensions, Benefits and Compensation practice group or your Hicks Morley lawyer.
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