Thank you, Madam Chair.
I'd like to begin with Ms. Pohlmann. Under Bill C-45, the 2012 hiring credit does not factor in the 2011 hiring credit calculations. The calculation under Bill C-45 is based on employers' 2011 EI premiums before the hiring credit. As a result of that, for instance, a small company with 10 employees, earning $39,000 each in salary, would pay premiums of $9,445 in 2011. In 2012, that would go up to $9,718. Would you acknowledge that small businesses, even those that qualify for the 2012 hiring credit, would still see their EI rates go up by 7¢ per $100 contribution in 2012 compared to what they paid in 2011?