[messengers] employment insurance in canada

[john stillwell <stillbad@xxxxxxxxx>]

hey fellow canadurrrrs, i have what might end up being a real crumb bag of
an issue here with regards to EI and my eligibility for it.
I'm on my 9th year in this fine profession and sadly it seems it has to be
my last as my knees are seeming like they are just about done with it.
deal is, having been seeing a joint specialist for the past year, we've
decided that it's time to make my way to something different and to aid with
the transition, he wrote me a letter to bring to EI recommending
re-training. The guy at employment manitoba that I've been seeing( has been
helping me plan the transition to furthering my education to get me to my
goal(plumber) for the past few months but my # of insurable hours never came
up until yesterday when we talked last.
ZOIKS!
i have totally neglected to consider in this case what effect my apparent,
albeit illegitimate, status as an "independent contractor" might have on my
eligibility for employment insurance.
My "employment councilor" confided in me that he'd never actually been
involved in a case with an IC and told me to go home and make sure they were
taking offf deductions for EI from my cheques.
GAH!
no indication of such a deduction!
not sure why this had never crossed my mind during my years on the
jorb...guess i figured it would never have to end?
while doing this i've never had deductions that im made aware of for workers
compensation, but i collected that for a couple injuries...could it be that
employers pay into it for you?
is this perhaps the case for EI also?
do i have to got through labour standards to get myself recognized as an
employee and go without earnings for a year before i can collect?
GAAAH!

sorry about the rambling nonesense above but i'm bugging out and can't wait
until monday to know at least something about this as my vision of my near
future(was to quit in a week) depends on this!

if you can clear any of this up for me please do, thank you muchly!

john