From the time he first came to Canada nearly 30 years ago in his early adulthood, Uddam worked hard to help build a better life for his family. The first member of his family to leave India, Uddam struggled with English and naturally gravitated towards his community and a workplaces where his native language, Punjabi, was spoken. For almost 30 years, Uddam worked in manual labour jobs in Calgary. Uddam and his family lived a very modest life. He and his wife, Balpreet, had two children shortly after settling in Calgary and they worked many jobs at once to provide for their family and to send money to needy relatives back home.

Over the summer of 2023, Uddam was laid off temporarily. This was the first time since coming to Canada that he had lost his job, so Uddam reached out to some friends in his community about applying for Employment Insurance (EI) regular benefits. Although Uddam could not read English, his friends showed him which boxes to tick off when he was completing his reporting and he felt he had a good understanding of the process.

After a few weeks of unemployment, Uddam was called back to work, but when he returned, it became clear that he was not well and could no longer work. His employers sent him home and advised him to apply for EI sickness benefits, which he did. When it came time to complete biweekly reporting, Uddam incorrectly assumed that he was supposed to report the same way he had done when receiving regular benefits. Because of his language barrier, he didn’t realize that he was incorrectly reporting that he was “ready, willing and able” to work.

After a few weeks, Service Canada cut off his benefits and informed him that he had to repay the benefits he had given him since the beginning of his sickness claim. Uddam and Balpreet were just getting by on one income and didn’t know what to do. Fortunately, a friend recommended that they reach out to the Workers’ Resource Centre.

Uddam and Balpreet visited the Workers’ Resource Centre at its Genesis Centre location and had an appointment with a caseworker named Rubina, who spoke Punjabi. After reviewing the documents from Service Canada, Rubina quickly identified the issue, and explained to the couple what had happened. “Due to the language barrier, as well as some cultural barriers, they were not able to express themselves to Service Canada representatives in English to explain the depth of the problem,” says Rubina. Rubina advocated for Uddam by submitting a request for reconsideration with Service Canada in light of the barriers Uddam faced that resulted in incorrect reporting and delays in correspondence. She worked with Uddam and Balpreet to provide the appropriate documentation to prove that Uddam was indeed entitled to EI Sickness Benefits. His file was adjusted. Service Canada agreed that Uddam had been entitled to the Sickness Benefits that he received.

For Balpreet, who speaks limited English, having Rubina’s support, especially in the language that she and her husband were most comfortable communicating in, was a huge relief. “She’s very, very helpful, she is very, very nice. She looks like my family member. I really appreciate her,” says Balpreet. “She speaks my language, that is why I like her.”

Disclaimer: the names of the client and his partner have been changed to protect their privacy.