Please ask the Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction (Sheila Malcolmson) to end EI Clawbacks for people on PWD. As most of the approximately 160,000 people on PWD are living below the poverty level in British Columbia it is of utmost importance to allow people who are working part time to be allowed to use Unemployment benefits as earned income while they are temporarily laid off .

It seems there is no incentive to encourage people on Disability to try and rise above their circumstances by holding part time employment. As soon as they are laid off for any given time their EI benefits are fully clawed back from their Disability benefits and putting them further back into the poverty class and at the risk of homelessness. 

When an individual is employed part time they are paying into the EI benefits throughout their employment. As soon as they are able to use these benefits they are compromised on their Disability assistance and penalized. 

Society as a whole should be outraged by this and demand that we use their EI benefits (which are temporary ) to be claimed as their earned income allowance. 

Please see the letter attached which was sent to the Minister in 2022from the Disability Alliance BC regarding this issue and please sign the petition to encourage the Minister to defend this right for our less fortunate family members and friends in our community to help them keep their dignity and income level in a place that can be helpful instead of a hindrance. 

file:///C:/Users/User/OneDrive/Desktop/Minister-Simons-DABC-Letter-on-EI-Exemption-for-PWD-Clients.pdf