Mr. Speaker, in the proposed reform of the employment insurance plan, the North Shore will be the most heavily penalized area.
Whereas the effective unemployment rate stands at 17.2%, it will be set à 12% by HRDC, and the maximum number of weeks of benefits will drop from 32 to 24.
Can the minister explain to the people in the North Shore area how this is going to meet the needs of thousands of workers who will be excluded from the EI program?