Human Resources committee  No, the bill provides that the $2 billion are considered as a reserve. To my knowledge, the bill does not contain a provision for those $2 billion to be refunded. So, this is a transfer. The bill does provide for the $2 billion reserve to be indexed. There is no provision requiring the money to be returned to the government, to the CRF, in any well-defined timeframe.

Human Resources committee  I don't want to get into that type of technicality, namely whether it belongs in the employment insurance fund, but I believe that people would indeed think that it does belong there, if it was transferred and if the bill contained a provision calling for indexation each year. So people would certainly believe that the money would belong in the employment insurance fund, but since I am not a lawyer, I cannot give you a legal opinion as to whether the money should legally be in the Employment Insurance Fund.

Human Resources committee  Indeed, you need lawyers to draft a bill, but I certainly was involved with regard to the measures which were included in the budget.

Human Resources committee  When I appear before a committee as I am today, I have the impression that I don't know enough, but...

Human Resources committee  The amount of $54 billion, which was $46 billion at the time, was not in a specific account, but it was simply an accounting entry, as you probably know. The consolidation of the employment insurance fund had been strongly recommended by the Auditor General of the day, Mr. Denis Desautels.

Human Resources committee  The $2 billion was assumed to be sufficient whether in a recession or a slowdown, in the event that it ever were to happen. It's important to keep in mind that should the reserve not be sufficient, the government stands behind this and would cover any shortfall that would be needed to pay the benefits.

Human Resources committee  I don't have the precise figure, but I believe it was well below $1 billion. So over the last two or three fiscal years, I think it was close to $2 billion in total.

Human Resources committee  The EI program operates on a calendar year basis, so there might be differences arising from that difference.

Human Resources committee  I'm not sure I understand your question.

Human Resources committee  I don't think you can make that simple an equation, because a change in the unemployment rate in itself does not necessarily mean the EI benefits will be affected. It can vary greatly, according to the length of unemployment, who is suffering from unemployment. On your point about the 1991-92 deficit, I'd like to point out that the economic structure back then was significantly different from what it is now.

Human Resources committee  I would like thank you for the opportunity to explain the changes to the management and financing of the employment insurance program as set out in Bill C-50, the budget implementation bill. The creation of the Canada Employment Insurance Financing Board and a new premium rate-setting mechanism as set out in budget 2008 addresses the expectations of Canadians with regard to employment insurance and the premium rate.

Health committee  If I may add to that, the recognition of foreign credentials is the jurisdiction of provinces and territories. What the federal government can do in that respect is somewhat limited. However, we have set up an office for the recognition of foreign credentials to help people be referred to the appropriate authorities in the provinces and territories.

Health committee  In the case of the Mental Health Commission, these are research projects to determine the best approaches for dealing with mental health issues. This is something that Senator Kirby looked into. He identified major deficiencies in that regard. Under the new budget, the Mental Health Commission has received or will receive $110 million, subject to Bill C-50 receiving Royal Assent, to conduct research projects in five centres.

Health committee  Mr. Malo, if I could ...

Finance committee  Ms. Krista Campbell, from the finance department, can answer that question.