Finance committee  I don't think there's anything in our inter-union platform on that. We haven't taken an in-depth look at that new reality. It's pretty recent. You're going to say that we may automatically lean towards a presumption, which would be even stronger. I don't know. We haven't considered that question.

Finance committee  It's fundamentally important in the balance of power between management and employees. It's no secret that the right to associate, to unionize, is constitutionally protected in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The corollary to that is the right to collective bargaining.

Finance committee  No. We're not really familiar with this, honestly. I cannot answer your question now.

Finance committee  I think the government should cover it. If I remember correctly, the account had a huge surplus at one time, and the government had no problem dipping into the EI fund.

Finance committee  I don't know the figure off the top of my head.

Finance committee  Indeed.

Finance committee  We'll check that and come back.

Finance committee  [Inaudible—Editor]

Finance committee  In English.

Finance committee  You are correct. We don't think the reporting should be done through anyone because it could affect the board of appeal's overall performance. We want to ensure the credibility of the process and the tribunal. There's another consideration, and I'm not sure I mentioned it. Having access to the capacity required is important.

Finance committee  Precisely.

Finance committee  Yes, especially for eligibility at 420 hours or 12 weeks of work. That's what we are recommending. I think it's worked well and hasn't bankrupted the government. It was effective. It's a sustainable model. It's something we've long been calling for, so we don't understand why it wasn't put in place permanently.

Finance committee  No. Extending the measure for a year is fine, but it shouldn't end. We make the point in our brief that ending the measure would be disastrous for the regions. The measure needs to be made permanent, it needs to become standard, and it needs to be enhanced.

Finance committee  Thank you for your question. I represent all the labour federations in Quebec. During the pandemic, we saw simplified accessibility rules that greatly improved the situation, but those rules disappeared, and we're back to square one. As I said at the outset, accessibility is lacking.

Finance committee  Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Thank you for the invitation. I am the vice-president of the Centrale des syndicats démocratiques, the CSD, and I'm here to present the written brief jointly with the three other labour federations in Quebec: the Confédération des syndicats nationaux, or CSN, the Fédération des travailleurs et travailleuses du Québec, or FTQ, and the Centrale des syndicats du Québec, or CSQ.