Hamilton hairstylist says she lost parental benefits after lockdowns limited her work hours

A Hamilton mother whose job as hairstylist was on hold due to pandemic lockdowns is calling for changes to the federal parental leave program after she was excluded from collecting benefits due to not working enough hours.

Melissa Debicki was on employment insurance (EI) between December 2020 and last June, except for six weeks in February and March when salons were briefly allowed to open. She gave birth to her son Theo in June, and her initial EI claim, which encompassed maternity leave and part of her parental leave benefits, expired in December. 

Debicki said Service Canada told her to start a new claim for her outstanding parental benefits, which should have gone to May. However, she was still denied the benefits because she hadn't worked enough hours in the previous year, something she says was by no fault of her own.

"I do not have [the hours required] because of all the provincially mandated lockdowns," she told CBC Hamilton, saying her initial plan had been to work until just before her birth due date. "I was not legally allowed to work … I was shocked because each time I spoke to an agent from Service Canada, I was reassured that none of this was going to affect my maternity leave."

Employment and Social Development Canada and the Canada Employment Insurance Commission operate the EI program, of which parental and maternity leave are a part. Eligibility for the program was dropped to 420 work hours in the previous year during the pandemic which, according to government, will remain in effect for any new claims accepted until September 24 of this year.

Previously, the number of required insurable hours in order to qualify for the program was 600. 

Debicki said she appealed her denial to the Employment Insurance Commission, but it was dismissed at the end of February. 

"The guy on the phone said, 'If it were up to me, I would allow it, however we're legally not allowed to,'" she recalled. "He said, 'We don't look at [the reason]. We just look at whether you have the hours.'"

Debicki brought up the issue with her local member of Parliament, Lisa Hepfner, and with Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who she contacted by email. She said she'd like to see the province recognize it was responsible for the rules that barred her from working, so it should be advocating for changes to EI while providing a stop-gap benefit for affected families.

"He basically shooed me off," she said. 

In his email response, Ford said "the specific issue you've raised falls under federal government responsibility. You may want to contact the Government of Canada."

Debicki said she contacted Hepfner's office and a staff member told her she wasn't the first person they'd heard from in this position. 

Hepfner said she's heard of similar cases across Canada, adding the particularities of the pandemic have made it clear that the EI system doesn't work for everyone. 

"There's no elegant solution immediately," she said, adding "the government is aware of it and is working on EI reform."