You have to watch out for that. The government says it wants to remove the Employment Insurance Fund from the Consolidated Revenue Fund. That's what the unions are seeking and also what I've been seeking from the outset. I never asked for a Crown corporationto be established as a result of which the minister who must be accountable to the public would ask that corporation to be accountable for him. That's what's currently happening with Radio-Canada, which is a Crown corporation. You have to put the questions to its president. If we ask questions about Canada Post, we'll also be told to put the question to that corporation. That way, the government washes its hands of it. Then there will be an appointment. The Conservatives are currently in power, but they won't always be. I say that with all due respect. Regardless of the government in power, it will appoint the president and whomever it wants at the Crown corporation. I think there is a fundamental danger that it will go through the back door to do what it can't through the front door and that it won't be accountable to citizens.
I think that the creation of a Crown corporation is the wrong direction to take. We asked that the Employment Insurance Fund be removed from the Consolidated Revenue Fund and become independent, and that their cash cow be removed and ultimately be made available to people.
Each of you has a copy of the recommendations I sent to the committee. One of the bills that I introduced in the past contained approximately 14 changes. At the time, the Liberal government, supported by the Conservative opposition, voted against the bill saying I wanted too much. So I decided to introduce this bill by proceeding request by request. It only contains two requests: the criteria of 360 hours and the 12 best weeks.
The purpose of the 360-hour criterion is to facilitate eligibility. According to Statistics Canada, of the people who contribute to the Employment Insurance Fund, only 32% of women and 38% of men qualify. The government responds that 85% of those who qualify for employment insurance receive it. Dear lord, that figure should be 100%, if they're eligible for it. But 15% don't receive any benefits.
You have to watch out for the language they use to defend their cause. However, the statistics and research are clear: of the people who contribute to the fund, only 32% are women, 800,000 individuals do not qualify for employment insurance, and 1.4 million children are hungry in Canada. Families are being punished, whereas they're paying for this system.