When it comes to duration of benefits and eligibility of benefits, in our view we need national criteria where eligibility and duration are constant across the country. It's important not to make access extremely easy, particularly at a time when we're facing labour shortages, and we're going to be facing labour shortages going forward. We need to encourage labour mobility. And in the EI system as it's currently structured, the incentives are not there for people to work and the incentives are not there for people to move to where the jobs may be. So we need to find a balance.
On October 31st, 2011. See this statement in context.