Nova Scotia Premier Criticizes ‘EI Folks’ Comment by Liberal MP

Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston is calling for an apology from Liberal MP Jaime Battiste for his comment labelling Atlantic Canadians as “EI folks,” in a reference to collecting employment insurance benefits. Battiste made the comment during a media conference in Nanaimo, B.C., on Sept. 9 in response to a reporter’s question about whether the Liberal Party was losing ground in Atlantic Canada. “I don’t get that sense that we’re in trouble in the Atlantic,” Battiste responded. “I think that the Atlantic has typically been a progressive spot. It’s one of those places that are kind of meat-and-potato, fisheries, EI kind of folks that tell us how they think we’re doing. And from all indications that I’ve had, they don’t reflect what the polls show.”...