As proposed, the bill would increase sickness benefits under EI by 35 weeks, from 15 weeks to 50 weeks. At this point in time, based on the information we have, we wouldn't be able to conclude whether that full extension would be consistent with the intention of EI sickness benefits as they're structured in the Employment Insurance Act now. They're specifically designed for short-term absences from the workplace. In that regard, they're intended to complement a number of other different support mechanisms that are out there, both from the private sector and from provincial governments and other federal government programs.
As it stands right now, we know that about 30% of people who claim EI sickness benefits exhaust their benefits or use the maximum 15 weeks. But we don't know a lot about the situation of those people after that point in time, how long they're absent from the workforce. So it would be difficult to know, in the context of the current policy objective of EI sickness benefits, whether 50 weeks is appropriate or not.