Figures Show Average Wait Time Was 12 Minutes On Service Canada's 1-800 Number

Darpan News Desk, 25 Jun, 2015 01:07 PM

OTTAWA — Calling the government to ask about your employment insurance case? Get comfortable — you're likely to wait more than 10 minutes to talk with someone.

That's according to data tabled in Parliament this month that shows the average wait time on Service Canada's 1-800 line last year was 719 seconds, or about 12 minutes, for anyone seeking EI information.

So far this year, things appear to be getting better: The average wait time in April was about 10 minutes.

The figures show callers for help with Canada Pension Plan and old age security waited an average of nearly three minutes last year.

As of April, the wait times had gone up to about four minutes, or 253 seconds.

The figures were tabled in response to a written question from Liberal MP Ralph Goodale.

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