First, I would like to say that the figures in Mr. Bédard's document are for the most part correct, except for the qualitative comments that I do not agree with. I have the English version of the document in front of me. When he says that the Quebec premium rate of 1.36% is excessively high, I feel that Mr. Bédard is comparing apples and oranges.
We are not dealing with a compulsory plan here. We must be very careful with the figures that Mr. Bédard is using. Many of those figures are actually taken from the most recent report of the Chief Actuary, published last October 14. They all deal with a compulsory plan. Employment Insurance is a compulsory plan.
However, Bill C-56deals with a voluntary plan. The actuarial dynamics change considerably. My first reaction is that he is comparing apples to oranges.