Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
As I sit here considering the motion tabled by our Liberal colleague, Mr. Savage, I hear Mr. Big Brother, Mr. Lake, say that he wants to study poverty in Canada. It is certainly something we can discuss because, as 800 000 workers are not eligible for employment insurance, the employment insurance regime is one of the causes of poverty in Canada. Such a high number of non-entitled Canadians means that children are suffering. There are 1.4 million children in Canada who go hungry and, in my opinion, the cuts to the employment insurance program have contributed to this poverty. Do we really need to study the underlying causes of the problem? If, after all the years we have spent here, we still do not understand the origins of the problem...I know that the study has to be done, but the EI fund project is moving ahead fairly quickly. Minister Solberg wants to move ahead with it and plans to hold hearings to gain a better understanding of the state of affairs across the country and to find out what people really think of the fund.
The stand-alone fund that was suggested—and I do not want to get into a debate about it—sought to remove the money from the general revenues and put it aside to prevent it being pilfered. Setting up a Crown Corporation, however, is not without consequence. I think that we ought to study the matter and convene experts to explain exactly what a fund administered by a Crown Corporation would entail. What changes would it create in the employment insurance system? What would the consequences of such a change be?
I would support this becoming a priority. If the Minister decides to go ahead with a Crown Corporation we would have to initiate a study. This way, the Committee would have already expressed its view on the matter.