Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Amendments BQ-2 and BQ-3, by correlation, seek to restore the presumption of innocence for workers applying for employment insurance. The adoption of amendment BQ-2 would by correlation lead to the adoption of amendment BQ-3. The goal is to restore justice to unemployed persons who are treated differently if their employer is a family member. The assumption that people who work for their family are fraudsters is unique in Canadian law. Even members of organized crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty and their benefits are not cut until then.
The unemployed are not fraudsters, Mr. Chair. This presumption of innocence must apply to everyone, including the unemployed. The unemployed should be granted the presumption of innocence when applying for benefits, even if they work for family members. That is what the amendment says.