It would have a cost factor to it. Some have estimated that to be $1.148 billion; I think that was from the Parliamentary Budget Officer. I know that others have suggested, depending on how that ties into benefits, that it could be $4 billion per year.
It doesn't allow for the fact that this particular bill says that even though the qualification requirement for regular benefits would be a uniform 360 hours, the number of weeks of benefits would continue to vary with hours of insurable employment and the regional unemployment rate, as specified in a new schedule. Attached is the schedule, which says that everybody qualifies at 360 hours but not everybody gets the same amount of benefits, because they stagger them depending on hours and depending on the region they're in and the unemployment rate there.
So are you opposed to the way the benefits are calculated notwithstanding the 360-hour uniformity in terms of qualification? Also, do you have some idea of what it would cost if you did away with the regionally differentiated unemployment rates?