The only Tory MP from this province is looking for answers from other MP’s in Newfoundland and Labrador as to why the federal government is making it tougher for people to qualify for EI and, in some cases, reducing benefits.

The FFAW first raised the issue a few days ago, and even the provincial government is calling on their political cousins in Ottawa to slow down and rethink some aspects of the changes.

Clifford Small, whose riding encompasses primarily the northeast coast and central Newfoundland, says he is being bombarded by residents, especially in coastal areas where employment opportunities pale in comparison to urban centres.

Meanwhile, Federal Labour Minister and St. John;s South-Mount Pearl MP Seamus O’Regan says he spoke with the FFAW and MPs have been meeting with Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages Randy Boissonnault.

O’Regan says the teams are working hard to find a solution, but people are “rightly” anxious about the changes.

MP Small is worried that the new rules, which expand the number of hours worked and the amount of money earned required to qualify for EI, will decimate the labour pool.

We could be faced wth a mass exodus of workers, says Small, who believes that most will just end up going to the mainland for work, creating a human resource shortage.