Okay, I appreciate that.
I don't have much time left, unfortunately, and I have a lot of questions.
I know this is going to be an ongoing political debate over employment insurance rates, and the politicians are going to say various things. The most reputable organization for a small business in Canada is CFIB, by far. Every political party quotes them with respect to the EI rates, and with respect to credit card rates.
This is what they say. The small business job credit “will result in a 15% net reduction in [EI] premiums paid by small businesses over the next two years”.
“This is a big one”, said Dan Kelly.
This will make it easier to hire new workers or invest in additional training to help entrepreneurs grow their businesses. In fact, CFIB estimates that this credit will create 25,000 person years of employment over the next few years.
I know there are two witnesses on this. But in 30 seconds or a little more, why is CFIB incorrect on this? They've clearly stated their position in support of this policy change.
Mr. Askari or Mr. Macdonald, does anyone want to address this?