I agree with Playfelt .... self employed people can now buy into EI .... however you are paying both the employer AND the employee contribution so it is EXPENSIVE however when you make a claim you only get 55% of whatever you claimed as INCOME and well most of us do a pretty good job of getting that down to less than minimum wage so you would only get 55% of that .... and yes once you buy into this program you have to continue to pay into the system as long as you are 'employed' either in your own business or if you return to the workforce .... so if you are planning to be self employed for a long time this is a HUGE investment you are making 'in case' you might get sick or need a mat leave.

Yup - since we have the choice I too personally think in our industry is much better off saving up each week for our own 'emergency' rather than paying into a collective pop ... cause if we end up not having one than we can use that money ... and ALL of it to boot ... for EARLY RETIREMENT