Thank you very much, Chair.
Thank you for being here today.
We are indicating at the outset that as a caucus we'll support this. However, for us it's just a start. In fact, just to put it in context, it's something we've been talking about for quite some time.
I don't know if you're aware or not, but my colleague from Bathurst, Mr. Godin, tabled a report in the House of Commons in 1999. He spoke about the changing labour market out there at that time, and talked about more and more people becoming self-employed. He suggested at that time that the government look at finding ways to have so-called self-employed workers contribute to and benefit from the EI system; of course, then it was the UI system.
This is the report that he tabled. I think it would be worth looking at and understanding some of the dynamic behind his thinking.
As well, when I was a member of a provincial parliament, recognizing the fragility of being a self-employed small business person, and looking at franchising at that time, I led a charge to actually regulate that industry so that they would have something to hang onto should they be dealt with unfairly.
Today, then, we're happy that we're here discussing this. We think it extends a benefit--which, actually, we believe should be broader and wider--to a group of people out there who are working very hard, trying to make a living, and finding themselves sometimes stuck in a place where life becomes very difficult.
What was the government's logic in limiting the coverage of self-employed to special benefits?