How far would $57 Billion dollars have taken EI here during this corporate/bank created debacle known as a "recession"?

According to the NDP, the Tories eroded a $57-billion surplus in EI by putting it into general revenue in 2008, then created a new EI account which was only endowed $2 billion.
Citing a report by parliamentary budget officer Kevin Page, Mulcair said: "The Conservatives will have no choice but to provide for the highest increase allowed under the law for EI premiums ... because they've so seriously underfunded (the EI account)."

EI isn't tax money. It is money deducted from the paycheques of hard working Canadians and also paid by their employers to help workers in the event of a corporate/bank created debacle.

Like this one.

But hey, the Liberals did it too, seriously.
In the US, Geitner was issuing IOU's on the retirement funds of federal employees in order to keep raising the debt ceiling, so they can continue to keep bailing out the banks. 

This. is. all. a. manufactured. crisis.

Underline. Period.

Conservatives hate social safety nets, so it should be no surprise really that they would deliberately sabotage the security of Canadians who cannot find work, and then try to force them to take lower paying jobs or risk being homeless because they say, the money isn't there.
Add the divide and conquer strategy they use, which works so well on some Canadians.

Just look at the comment sections in the online corporate media, knownothings with very US sounding names like PatrioticCanadian think it is just fine to penalize those without jobs. After all, they had a friend of a friend who lived on the "dole" for months every year. 
Therefor, all those receiving EI are just looking for a handout.  They read it on the interntz, or heard it at the coffee shop. "Others"  who are not them, are getting FREE money! 

An MP has stated quite publicly that she thinks those on EI are going to get too used to the good life of EI. 

"We do not want to make it lucrative for them to stay home and get paid for it," she said on January 30.
In essence, she is saying that Canadian workers, in their hearts, are lazy and would prefer sitting at home to working.

Ya. 55% of your former wages that you have to grovel for every week. Whee haw. The GOOD life!

Jim Flaherty, who couldn't add up a grocery list, is in charge of numbers. Lawd have mercy.

What did the $55 Billion (recall they left $2 Billion. How generous. *blink*) they stole from the cookie jar buy for us? This one slid off the radar pretty quickly.

A federal agency created by the Harper government with great political fanfare in 2008 is costing millions of dollars to achieve pretty much nothing.
The Canada Employment Insurance Financing Board has just about everything a budding government agency could want.
So far, it has spent over $3.3 million for new offices, computers and furniture, well-paid executives and staff, travel budgets, expense accounts, board meetings, and lots of pricey consultants.

Billions spent on Illegal actions against Canadians, Gazebos, Fake lakes, Hotel rooms, Joy Rides in Search and rescue helicopters. corporate welfare, Untendered bids on Jets we do not need with no engines and fake price tags....This list could go on and on.

And those same knownothings like PatrioticCanadian, will remain silent on all of that. Because they would much rather blame those who had nothing to do with this mess. 

And the Corporate media just does it's usual sctick.  Rinse. Repeat.

Meanwhile, the wayback machine will tell us what a difference being a Government makes. 

In a February 2005 report of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills Development, Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities, then Official Opposition HRSDC critic Peter Van Loan said:

“The Conservative Party [pale's note, he was speaking for the party as a whole. The Conservative borg.] believes that the government needs to be held accountable for the cumulative balance in the Employment Insurance account which continues to grow year after year, despite repeated objections by the Auditor General that it violates the Employment Insurance Act.”
“We believe that the slate must not be wiped clean. It is important to all contributors that the government be held accountable. The ‘notional surplus’ (now $46 billion) has been tracked for a reason – that is to recognize what contributors have paid into Employment Insurance. The Conservative Party believes that this surplus is the property of those who have made the contributions to Employment Insurance – the workers and employers of Canada.”

Read this report from 2005. 

They are also going after the retirement of Canadians. 

House of Commons Finance Committee Transcript from May 15 on Employment Insurance changes.

Hon. Scott Brison: You are saying that people can work longer today than they used to. That's true for a politician, lawyer, accountant, but if you are a manual labourer, pipe fitter or carpenter or fish plant worker in physical labour, that may not be the case. In fact, many people in those roles, their body actually needs a break at 65. Will you consider amendments to exempt some people in heavy physical labour for example from these changes?

Hon. Jim Flaherty: There's a very interesting program that is funded in the budget and it's called The Third Quarter. The Manitoba Chamber of Commerce created the program and it is an Internet program to match people 50 and their attributes and qualifications to available jobs. This has been very successful in Manitoba and we're going to fund its expansion across the country. One doesn't have to do the same job for one's entire life. Many people do not. In fact it would be more common in the future for people to have multiple and different jobs in their lifetimes than a single job.

Walmart greeters! Hell, You can work at three jobs to make enough to live on!

Jim Flaherty sayz so.

Universal Healthcare. You know it's in the queue. They have been chipping away at that for years.