Thank you, Chair.
Thanks to our witnesses for being here.
I just want to remind Peggy that in budget 2013, $70 billion, an unprecedented amount of money, is going to be spent on infrastructure over the next few years. That should take care of much of the deficit and the gap.
My first questions will be for Monique Moreau, senior policy analyst at the Canadian Federation of Independent Business.
Monique, earlier this fall the government announced a three-year freeze on EI premiums to promote stability and predictability for job creators and workers. This measure will leave $660 million in their pockets in 2014 alone. How important is it for small business to have this predictability when it comes to EI premiums?