Employment Insurance (EI) is commonly called “Unemployment Insurance.” If an individual loses her/his job due to a shortage of work or layoffs, or if she/he can’t work due to sickness, she/he can collect EI. The program is funded through regular mandatory employee and employer contributions.

To qualify for EI, you must have worked between 420-700 hours in the last 52 weeks and be actively looking for work.

The EI payment is 55% of your average weekly insurable earnings, to a maximum of C$729/week (2026). EI is considered taxable income.

Depending on how long you have worked and your region’s unemployment rate, you can collect EI for between 14 and 45 weeks.

For information see:

The Government of Canada’s Employment Insurance Benefits Information page