Absolutely not. If I remember correctly, the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, Mr. Peter Van Loan, told us that there had been a diversion of funds and that they had been placed in the Consolidated Revenue Fund. You can check the blues. The government clearly said at the time that the $52 billion had to be returned to the fund. So there is money. There's no reason to be ashamed. It's not the government's money; it's the money of companies and employees.
In addition, employers were asked whether they were complaining about the fact that employees could receive employment insurance. The best example occurred two years ago. There was a protest at Forestville that I was invited to attend. All the Forestville merchants closed their businesses and walked through the streets with the workers, from the church to the arena. The merchants said they wanted their employees to be able to access the employment insurance program in the event they lost their jobs. They're the ones who pay. They were very vocal about that.
Let's look at the protest in New Richmond. At the time, in the Gaspé Peninsula, at the stroke of noon, when the protest started, all the church bells on the Peninsula rang at the same time. The parish priest said that it wasn't a political issue, but rather a human issue. People were suffering. I never hear the government talking about that. I'd at least like to know the government's impressions of the matter. It says it's working on the labour market and economic development. What's been done for the people who lose their jobs? I never heard the government's response. I think workers would like to hear the government announce that it's going to lower contributions so that companies pay more money. What do we do about employees who have lost their jobs? Mothers and fathers come home on Friday night saying they won't be going to work on Monday morning. They won't have any pay the following week. What do we do about them? That's the question I'm asking.