Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Many thanks to the witnesses for appearing today. I have a few questions.
I would really like to understand the logic underpinning the calculations used to determine eligibility for the five-week extension of benefits.
Before, five weeks of benefits were given to workers in regions with high unemployment rates, therefore, often in regions in which seasonal employment was predominant or significant. We now have a new formula: the region must now have experienced a 2% increase in its unemployment rate over a three-month period without showing any signs of recovery. In the end, the bill lists the 12 regions that are eligible, and three other regions should be added to that list. In accordance with the formula that has been proposed, by next month, four other regions could have been added to the list, but we have just learned that these four other regions will not be included, because a decision has been made not to make any further changes to the list at this point.
I would really like to understand the rationale and thinking that led to these decisions. Frankly, it makes no sense at all, particularly to someone like me, who is from eastern Quebec, where there is a crying need to bridge this gap.