Regina woman pleasantly surprised by how much MPs can help
- Jaida Beaudin-Herney | May 22, 2018
After 16 weeks without any employment insurance benefits, Deanna Kaiswatum was surprised by what an MP could do for her.
Kaiswatum’s benefits were placed on hold because she failed to report on time when she had to leave Regina for a family emergency.
Kaiswatum previously worked at All Nations Hope Network as an outreach coordinator believing she could resolve situations on her own. When she realized she had been cut off, Kaiswatum pleaded her situation to EI staff multiple times and filled out forms.
“I felt as if E.I. was giving me this runaround... I was tired, and frustrated,” she said.
She tried reaching out to First Nations and non-First Nations housing agencies and was referred to Revenue Canada where she filled out more forms.
Still empty-handed, Doreen Lloyd from Carmichael Outreach suggested to go to her local MP, Andrew Scheer as a last resort.
Kaiswatum was hesitant, feeling her situation wasn’t significant enough, but more importantly pointing to his image as a social conservative, “I felt like he was a brand of Stephan Harper... like he wouldn’t do anything,” but after 16 weeks without any source of income, Kaiswatum decided to give it a shot.
“I was surprised, I handed them all my information and my EI benefits were released two days later... I thought I was going to get fluffed off again, honestly,” Kaiswatum said. “I thought these politicians don’t really care about us. I wouldn’t have gone there if it wasn’t for Doreen's suggestion.”
Kaiswatum came out of the situation understanding the importance of an MP’s role and their duty to their constituents.
“Our office’s whole focus is to overcome bureaucratic hurdles and put constituents first,” Andrew Scheer MP for Regina-Qu’Appelle said.
Erin Weir MP for Regina-Lewvan added, “Case work is probably the least partisan aspects on what members of parliament do... all of us are points of contact for constituents who need some help accessing services from the federal government.”
Scheer and Weir both mention their office deals with immigration, employment insurance, pensions, and taxes for most of their casework.
“Within the EI system there is a dedicated MP desk that our offices are able to contact,” says Weir, who explains these designations for MP’s help get constituents straight forward answers and resolutions to their case, just as Scheer’s office did for Kaiswatum.
Kaiswatum’s revelation prompts individuals, “if you have nowhere else to go, go to your local politician in your riding because they are there to listen.”