EI Request for Reconsideration — Grounds & Submissions (Canada)

Request for Reconsideration — Employment Insurance

Reconsideration Requested Under Section 112 Of The Employment Insurance Act · June 10, 2026

Dear Service Canada,

I request a reconsideration under section 112 of the Employment Insurance Act of the decision dated May 22, 2026 concerning my claim for EI regular benefits. The decision imposes disqualification for voluntarily leaving without just cause. This letter sets out my grounds and the evidence I rely on, and accompanies my request made in the prescribed form and manner.

Full name: Sarah J. McAllister
Social Insurance Number: 123-456-789
Address: 88 Lakeshore Road East, Mississauga ON L5G 1E1
Telephone: +1 (905) 555-0147
Email: sarah.mcallister@email.ca

Benefit type: EI regular benefits
Date of the decision: May 22, 2026
Reference on the decision letter: EI-2026-7741203
Nature of the decision: disqualification for voluntarily leaving without just cause
If the decision was communicated on its date, the 30-day period for this request runs to on or about June 21, 2026.

Under subsection 112(1) of the Employment Insurance Act, a claimant who is the subject of a decision of the Commission may request a reconsideration within 30 days after the day on which the decision is communicated, or any further time the Commission may allow — and under subsection 112(2) the Commission must reconsider the decision on such a request. This request is made within that period. Reconsideration is carried out by an officer who was not involved in the original decision, and there is no fee.

I respectfully ask the Commission to reverse the decision and pay the benefits claimed. I ask that the reconsideration officer review the whole file — including the information set out in this letter and its schedule — and notify me of the decision in writing with reasons.

The decision treats my resignation as voluntary leaving without just cause. In fact my employer cut my wages by 20 percent and moved me to substantially different duties, I objected in writing and asked for the change to be reversed or for a transfer, and I resigned only when the employer refused. A significant modification of wages and duties is just cause under the Act, and I had no reasonable alternative left.

The decision disqualifies me for voluntarily leaving my employment without just cause. Under paragraph 29(c) of the Employment Insurance Act, just cause exists where the claimant had no reasonable alternative to leaving, having regard to all the circumstances — and the Act lists those circumstances expressly, including sexual or other harassment, working conditions that constitute a danger to health or safety, a significant modification of terms and conditions respecting wages or salary, significant changes in work duties, antagonism with a supervisor for which the claimant is not primarily responsible, practices of an employer that are contrary to law, and undue pressure to leave. The Federal Court of Appeal applies exactly that test (Canada (AG) v White, 2011 FCA 190). The Commission bears the onus of showing the leaving was voluntary; it then falls to me only to show that, in my circumstances, leaving was the sole reasonable course. The facts below show which of the section 29(c) circumstances apply, what I did to avoid leaving, and why no reasonable alternative remained.

The correct position: I left my employment with just cause within the meaning of paragraph 29(c) of the Employment Insurance Act, so no disqualification applies and my regular benefits should be paid from the start of the benefit period.

Grounds in detail: On March 2, 2026 my employer announced a 20 percent reduction in my hourly wage and reassigned me from senior dispatcher to general warehouse duties, effective immediately and without my agreement. That is a significant modification of the terms and conditions respecting wages and a significant change in work duties — two of the circumstances paragraph 29(c) lists expressly. I did not resign in haste: I objected in writing, asked the employer to restore my role or wage, and requested a transfer to another branch. Each request was refused. Only then did I give notice. On those facts, leaving was the only reasonable course remaining.

Steps taken before leaving (no reasonable alternative): I raised the change with my manager on March 2 and again on March 9 in writing; I asked for my previous wage and duties to be restored; I requested a transfer to the Oakville branch, which was refused on April 14; and I checked whether the change was temporary — the employer confirmed it was permanent. No grievance process or other internal recourse was available.

The decision rests on findings of fact. The events, in order, were as follows:
1. March 2, 2026 — Employer announced a 20 percent wage reduction and reassignment to warehouse duties, effective immediately. Shown by: Memo from operations director (item 2 of the schedule).
2. March 9, 2026 — I objected in writing and asked for the wage and role to be restored. Shown by: My email of March 9, 2026 (item 3).
3. April 14, 2026 — My transfer request to the Oakville branch was refused. Shown by: HR email of April 14, 2026 (item 4).
4. May 1, 2026 — I resigned with two weeks of notice, citing the wage cut and the change of duties. Shown by: Resignation letter (item 5).
Response to the employer’s account: I understand the employer told Service Canada that I resigned for personal reasons. That is not what happened, and it is not what the contemporaneous documents show: my written objection and transfer request predate my resignation and state the actual reason — the wage cut and the change of duties.
Inconsistencies the officer should weigh: The Record of Employment gives the reason for issuing as a simple quit, with no comment on the wage reduction. The employer’s own memo of March 2, 2026 confirms the 20 percent reduction — the two documents cannot both be the full story.

The following records support each ground above and are identified so the reconsideration officer can weigh them item by item:
1. Employment contract showing my role as senior dispatcher and my hourly wage (dated February 12, 2023) — the original terms the employer later changed
2. Memo from the operations director announcing the wage reduction and reassignment (dated March 2, 2026) — a significant modification of wages and duties
3. My written objection asking for the change to be reversed (dated March 9, 2026) — I tried to resolve the situation before leaving
4. HR email refusing my transfer request (dated April 14, 2026) — the last reasonable alternative was closed off
5. Pay statements before and after the change (dated February to April 2026) — the 20 percent reduction actually applied
All listed items are enclosed with this request.
The Record of Employment on file is inaccurate — the reason for issuing, the insurable hours or the earnings it records do not reflect the facts. I have asked the employer to issue an amended ROE, and I ask the Commission to weigh the record against the documents scheduled above rather than taking the ROE at face value.
Notes on the evidence: The pay statements show gross hourly pay of $31.50 to February 2026 and $25.20 from March 2026 — a 20 percent reduction applied without my agreement.

If the reconsideration maintains the decision in whole or in part, I intend to appeal to the Employment Insurance Board of Appeal within 30 days of the reconsideration decision — the first-level appeal body for Employment Insurance decisions since 1 April 2026, hearing appeals before a regional three-member panel at no cost. I therefore ask that the reconsideration decision letter state its date clearly and enclose the information needed to appeal. A focused reconsideration now, on the grounds and evidence in this letter, remains the faster route for both parties.

Please acknowledge receipt of this request in writing and confirm the date it was received. I ask that the reconsideration officer contact me before deciding the request if any further information or document would assist, and that the decision be communicated to me in writing with reasons. All my rights are reserved, including the right of appeal to the Employment Insurance Board of Appeal.

YOURS TRULY,