--so I think it's an apolitical feathering of the nest that's been going on for some time.
But in all seriousness, it is very disturbing to my members, 90% to 95% of whom are small business employers, to have what amounts to a payroll tax and then find out that the government is taking more than is required for the needs of the fund, knows it's taking more than is needed in the fund, and then ties the hands of the chief actuary and the Employment Insurance Commission and absolutely forbids them to look backwards in setting future rates. In other words, you're not allowed to correct your past mistakes or miscalculations.
The throne speech did make a commitment to look at the governance and management of the EI fund, but with no specifics. I think that opens the door for this committee to make some strong recommendations to change how the rates are set for that fund. I can guarantee you, if the EI fund was running an annual deficit, this would have been fixed a long time ago.