We completely agree on the need to improve the scheme, while taking the surplus into account.
What is the government proposing? These two items are being kept completely separate. It says there will be a board. I know that this is a very technical subject, but there seems to be a lot of confusion between the board's bank account and the employment insurance account. It has to be very clear that the employment insurance account will continue to receive premiums and manage benefits. What will the board's role be? It is completely separate from coverage. In fact, that is the criticism that most people have voiced. There is no desire to improve the scheme; the board is being kept completely separate, as part of a self-financing scheme.
Financing and coverage are achieved out of premiums and benefits. But the mechanism freezes it, that is, there will be no new inputs. What is going to be done with the $54.1 billion surplus? As far as I can understand, the government doesn't want to talk about that now.