We love elections. Grilling candidates, delving into complex social issues... well, it gets the blood and the words flowing like nothing else in the world. And we even enjoy some of the high-stakes political manoeuvring that takes place in a minority government — in a purely sporting kind of way.

So when we say that Canada desperately needs a real debate on Employment Insurance, and that the debate could be a defining moment in our social progress, you might think that we want the Liberals to push for election this summer, purely because we’re itching for yet another federal fight, and a chance to report on the horse race.

That’s not the case. We’d much rather not have another federal election less than a year after the last one.

Canada is in a recession and the Conservatives passed the “stimulus” budget only five months ago. It will take some time for those programs to take root, and for the infrastructure projects to get off the ground. Sure, the Conservatives could be going about it better, but we should at least give it a year to work.

And that famous line from Kim Campbell about elections not being a good time to have in-depth discussions is true. It shouldn’t be, and reporters and candidates of all stripes certainly try to make it more than just a contest, but the election atmosphere can sometimes make parties risk-adverse, and clam up candidates worried about saying the wrong thing.

EI needs to be reformed. That could include Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff’s proposal to even out the requirements to qualify for EI, but it must include revisions to the training available for those receiving benefits.

As it currently stands, the unemployed can only get training for short periods. That means that people who wish to enter professions that require a couple years of training are usually out of luck.

Extending that training period or allowing for some part of the training to be paid for though EI would not only help Canadians wait out the recession, it would also help ensure Canada has the skilled workers the country will need when the baby boomers retire and we face a huge labour gap.

While we understand that times are tight, and Stephen Harper’s Conservatives could be heading into the biggest deficit in Canadian history, this would be an investment in the country’s human capital, rather than a short-term rebate on renovating your kitchen.

Instead of an election this June, we urge all federal parties to back down from their brinksmanship, and start discussing what they actually want to do with EI reform. It’s a serious task, and one that will take some serious contemplation.