8 views on EI changes: 'political football' or 'eHarmony'?

Human Resources Minister Diane Finleyreleased more detailsof the government's plans for reforming employment insurance Thursday.

Here's a sample of the reaction:

"New EI changes are like 'E-Harmony' for job seekers and employers: matching Cdns looking for work with available jobs, data, support."

- Public Works Minister Rona Ambrose, on Twitter

"We certainly need more information than we have. People having to search for work and having to go within an hours radius of where they live and so on, on the face of it, that doesnt sound all that onerous or difficult. But that depends on what you work at. In a province where we dont have public transportation, for example, if youre working for a minimum wage job and you have to travel 40 miles away, which is within the hour radius, to work at another $10-an-hour job, is that sensible? Is that prudent?"

- Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Kathy Dunderdale, scrumming with reporters at the provincial legislature in St. John's

"The new EI rules strike a blow for hard-working Canadian taxpayers, against habitual pogey collectors who have been enjoying part-time work with other people's money for far too long... If you've been collecting pogey more than one year in the past five, maybe it's time to get some training, find a different line of work, or move to where the jobs are... Let's remember, these so-called benefits are nothing more than other people's EI tax money - over $20 billion dollars - forcibly taken from them... Every Canadian should be entitled to keep the money they work for, not have government tax it away and give it out in an attempt to buy votes."

- Gregory Thomas, Canadian Taxpayers Federation, from a press release

"I'm disappointed that the federal government failed to consult with the provinces and territories on an issuethatwill impactworkers and their families across the country... Under the new rules, some EI recipients that are eligible now will become less eligible in the future. The changes will also make it difficultfor some employers to stay in business, including operators in the farming industry.It is already a challengeto keep rural communities strong. Economic changes are forcing people to leave their homes and communities to find work, andin many cases, once they leave, they're gone for good."

- Nova Scotia Premier Darrell Dexter, in a statement provided to CBC News

"What she should do as a responsible cabinet minister is take these changes out of that budget bill and start to talk to the people who know the system better than she... Instead she comes up with more fatuous suggestions about situations that really don't exist out there... This is ridiculous economic policy. It's short-term thinking and it's political football with the people that are the most vulnerable in our society. People who are unemployed don't want to be unemployed. This government would have you believe that they're sitting there and surfing off the shores of Nova Scotia or skiing in the mountains of British Columbia... it's not true."

- Ken Georgetti, Canadian Labour Congress, speaking on CBC News Network

"We're pleased that the government recognizes that the program needs to be modernized. We need further details on some of the things that they're looking at.We would like changes that would simplify eligibility... [and] make the program fair to Canadian workers in all regions of the country."

- David Sands, spokesperson forAlberta's department of intergovernmental affairs, speaking to CBC News

"When it comes to the EI system in Canada, a one-size-fits-all does not work...On P.E.I., we are very fortunate that our three largest industries are fisheries, agriculture and tourism: all three industries that are seasonal in nature. We are different than downtown Toronto and we are different than downtown Calgary. We know the federal government is looking at making changes that would be a hindrance to our industries that rely on workers coming back year after year that have expertise in these areas, that they need to come back and help to get their products to market."

- Prince Edward Island PremierRobert Ghiz, speakingin the legislative assemblyin Charlottetown

"We believe the changes to defining suitable employment, based on how frequently EI is claimed, will help to remove disincentives to work and hopefully make it easier for small firms to find the people they need... Under the current system, 22 per cent of small business owners said they had difficulty hiring as potential workers would rather stay on EI benefits and another 16 per cent said they had been asked by an employee to lay them off to allow them to collect benefits... Employers agree that EI should be there for those who lose a job through no fault of their own, but do not accept that the system should be used as some form of paid vacation or ongoing lifestyle for those who choose not to work."

- Catherine Swift, Canadian Federation of Independent Business, quoted in a news release