Thank you, Chair.
Just to follow up on that, I can understand why CFIB would advocate for this. They would advocate for the lowering of EI premiums whatever the reason.
The question I would put is this. The analysis that's been done by CFIB...we asked the federal officials what analysis had been done by the finance department. To be more specific, they said they didn't do analysis on the impact on jobs. I agree with the chair in terms of how CFIB will criticize government policy. They like lower EI rates as a policy. Our question is about the effectiveness. They're targeted, and I think that was to Mr. Macdonald's point that it's poorly targeted and isn't going to get the results that are claimed unless someone can show analysis—proper analysis, not back-of-a-napkin stuff—that it'll actually do what the government claims. The government hasn't bothered to analyze a half-billion-dollar EI program, which causes one concern.
A question to you, Ms. Biss....
First of all, I'm looking at the 160 organizations that have signed onto this, and to your letter opposing this. I have to say it's an impressive list across Canada: multi-faith groups, Christian, Jewish, Muslim, churches of just about every denomination I can think of, anti-poverty groups, health groups, doctors, nurses, front-line women's organizations, women's shelters, French and English, and ethnic groups right across the spectrum. It's unusual for this many groups of this diversity to agree on anything.
My specific question to you is this. A refugee applicant in, say, Ontario—I'm not sure which province you're most familiar with—what would they typically receive in social assistance in a given week? Are you familiar with those numbers? What's being stripped?