Conservative MP blasts Liberals over spike in EI use among women
Working-age women are disproportionately bearing the brunt of the current economic downturn, with a surge in employment-insurance claims prompting Conservative MP Sandra Cobena to slam the Liberals.
Working-age women are disproportionately bearing the brunt of the current economic downturn, with a surge in employment-insurance claims prompting Conservative MP Sandra Cobena to slam the Liberal government for “economic mismanagement.”
According to the latest Statistics Canada labour force data for July 2025, EI use among women aged 25 to 54 jumped 12% in a single month, while overall claims are up nearly 13% compared with a year earlier.
The figures point to a growing number of women in their prime working years who have lost jobs or seen hours cut.
Cobena told True North that the spike “is not a coincidence, nor is it bad luck. It is the direct result of this government’s economic mismanagement.”
She pointed to weakness in key sectors where women are heavily employed — retail, education and service industries — and said employers facing higher interest rates and rising costs “are cutting back on hours and jobs.”
She also cited “broader affordability pressures housing, transportation, and everyday essentials[that] are forcing women out of unstable or low-paying work,” but argued the deeper problem is Liberal policy.
“Endless deficits, higher payroll and carbon taxes, and ever-expanding regulation have made Canada one of the most expensive places to hire and expand,” she said.
“One of the greatest drags on job creation today is uncertainty,” Cobena added, criticizing what she called tariff wars with no strategy, missed trade deal deadlines and the absence of a federal budget since April 2024.
“Businesses cannot invest when this Liberal government spends recklessly, borrows endlessly, and fails to deliver a budget. … And it is women, mothers, caregivers, who pay the price first when opportunity dries up.”
Asked which government decisions most directly hurt women’s ability to find stable employment, Cobena pointed to “higher payroll and carbon taxes, endless deficits, and regulatory burdens” that slowed hiring and pushed businesses to hold back.
“When business investment dries up, it’s often women in retail, services, and healthcare support who pay the price first,” she said.
Cobena said Conservatives would focus on cutting red tape and lowering costs to spur hiring. “We will continue to advocate for cutting red tape, rein in endless deficits, and stop raising payroll and carbon taxes that discourage job creation,” she said. Conservatives also want the government to produce a budget on time and set clear fiscal anchors. “Businesses cannot hire if they don’t know what the government will do next. Stability will mean more opportunities for women across sectors.”