TORONTO, Nov. 4 (Xinhua) -- The federal government of Canada has introduced the Fairness for the Self-Employed Act, a legislation that would extend Employment Insurance (EI) special benefits, including maternity, parental, sickness and compassionate care benefits, to the self-employed.

    This is the latest in a series of improvements the Canadian government has already made to the EI program. With the change, self-employed Canadians would be able to voluntarily opt into the EI program and receive special benefits. Overall, the special benefits for self-employed individuals would mirror those currently available to salaried employees under the EI program.

    About 2.6 million Canadians are self-employed.

    Through Canada's Economic Action Plan, the federal government of Canada is helping those hardest hit by the economic downturn by providing longer EI benefits, more efficient service and support for training, while protecting jobs through Work-Sharing agreements. The Government of Canada has also frozen EI premiums for 2010 at the same rate as 2009.

    Most recently, the Government of Canada introduced legislation to extend EI regular benefits for unemployed long-tenured workers, who are individuals that have paid EI premiums for years and made limited use of the program, and who now need additional support while they look for jobs in a recovering economy.