As you know, now we have the EI fund and the premium is going to be set by the EI financing board. By the time they get going, they're going to be facing a big deficit in the EI account because of the recession and because the accumulated surplus hasn't been transferred over. They will have to set the premium in the light of the revenues flowing into the program and the cost of benefits.
I guess as this program for the self-employed is included in that, it will be costed by the chief actuary as the program proceeds, and they will have to set the overall premium rate in light of trends in all aspects of the program—regular benefits, special benefits, and benefits for the self-employed.
For a start, we shouldn't be raising premiums over the next few years, given the fact that we had a very large accumulated surplus going into it. The EI financing board or any financing authority should, as in Quebec, set a premium rate for the self-employed that covers the cost of the benefits provided to that group. I think the chief actuary is quite capable of doing that as the program unfolds, but what we don't really know now is just what it's going to cost as it rolls out.