Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I want to start by commending Mrs. Chatel for her comment on tax evasion and tax avoidance.
What you said about food banks was very moving, Ms. Freeland. Thank you. I think we are all united in the fight against poverty.
During the pandemic, you were there to support the economy and help everyone out. There's something this bill doesn't address, however—the employment insurance, or EI, fund. The deficit in the EI fund was not shifted to the consolidated revenue fund, so it wasn't absorbed. The Employment Insurance Act requires that the fund be balanced over seven years. Short of amending the Employment Insurance Act to transfer the pandemic-related deficit to the consolidated revenue fund, the government intends to take $17 billion from the pockets of EI contributors. This means it will be impossible to reform the system to make it more accessible. There is nothing in Bill C‑47 to prevent this tragedy. Why?