Eligibility Requirements for Employment Insurance
Paying into the Employment Insurance program is usually automatic, with regular deductions taken from you paycheque – individuals that are self-employed may choose to pay into EI. Further, you must have worked the minimum required hours within the last year. This falls between 420 – 700 hours depending on your geographic area. For Toronto, the required annual amount of hours is 630. Individuals must also be without an income for 7 consecutive days, be actively seeking employment and maintain a record of the specific employers contacted along with the date.
Quitting
To be eligible for Employment Insurance (EI) in Canada, your loss of employment cannot be your own fault.  This means that if you voluntarily quit your employment you will not be eligible to claim EI.
Dismissed for Cause
If an employer dismisses an employee for cause then the employee is usually not entitled to EI. Being dismissed for cause means that the employee has done something wrong to warrant a dismissal without notice or a severance package. When an employee is dismissed as a result of a single incident, the wrongful act must be fundamentally incompatible with the employment relation, making continued employment unfeasible. Examples may include theft, workplace violence, or breach of confidentiality.
Dismissal for cause can also happen as the last step of progressive discipline. This requires an employee to have committed multiple wrongs, receiving a disciplinary measure for each instance. Whatever the case may be, if you feel that dismissal was not warranted, it is important to seek legal consultation. In addition to missing out on EI benefits, an employer would also owe additional payment in damages.
Dismissed Without Cause:
If an employer dismisses an employee without cause, the employee is owed notice or pay in lieu. This does not disqualify an employee’s eligibility for EI – employees that are dismissed without cause are eligible to apply for EI benefits, providing they meet the criteria mentioned above.