We have long been on record as objecting to funds being diverted from the EI fund to general revenue. People heard from me repeatedly throughout the 1990s and the early 2000s about this. We know it's a notional account and it didn't happen on this government's watch, but the fact is that our members don't care. All they know is they over-contributed. Now unemployment has gone up and costs have gone up, and we cannot afford a 15ยข-per-year increase in premiums. It will kill jobs. It will hurt our members.
So we're saying don't plan to use EI premiums to reduce the overall deficit. It's time to start reversing the process and diverting money from consolidated revenue into that EI fund so you can avoid increasing the worst form of taxation.