I'm going to start by doing something I don't normally do, and that is to commend my colleagues across the table for some important changes in 1996 to the EI system.
I want to refer to a couple of quotes that I've heard so far. Mr. Céré, at one point you said, forget about partisan interests, think about the best interest of society. At one point Ms. Ritchie said that this is not the end of history.
It's good to hear you refer to the big picture. The big picture right now is that we have an employment rate that is the highest since 1975, and that's just a fact. There are studies out there that have shown time and time again—and it's interesting, because I've never heard of AIMS before today, so I'm not referring to what he had to say—that the rise in employment is directly correlated with a decrease in poverty rates.
My first question is for Ms. Ritchie. Why in the world would you want to advocate for an ad hoc policy change that will, with absolute certainty, lead to a decrease in employment and an increase in poverty?