So by doing some quick math on that, to fund just these changes alone, we'd be looking at probably $133 per worker per year more than what they would have to pay otherwise. That's pretty significant, and of course Mr. Savage did mention a few other initiatives that the Liberal Party has proposed to add costs to the EI program. So we're looking at basically increasing the contribution by workers significantly. I don't know how many hundreds they would have us increase the numbers by.
The spirit behind some of the changes that have been proposed is good. I would just note that for us as parliamentarians it's important to have priorities and to actually be able to focus on those priorities. If we try to do everything, we're not going to accomplish anything. I think that sums up the Liberal approach. It is trying to do everything at whatever cost and making whatever promises—we've seen this over the last year with their leader—with no real regard for the costs of any of the changes that are being proposed.
Here we see just an ad hoc bill that, with the amendments that have been proposed, is potentially going to cost workers $133 extra per year, if you average it out over the number of workers. And let's make no mistake that even though the employers pay a significant portion into it, it's the workers who ultimately pay for it. I think that's the approach we have to take when we're looking at this.
So it's $2 billion if we're looking at the Liberal–Bloc–NDP version of the bill--if they come together on that--and I think that's not sustainable.