First of all, the point of view of employers will vary depending on the industry they're in, their company situation, the markets they're operating in, and the general state of the economy. Obviously the current economy that we're in has not been robust. We're coming out of a very serious recession. In many cases, employers are doing the very best they can to stay on top of their cost structure.
Ten years ago, who would have thought that AbitibiBowater, for example, would be a company that is on the cusp of bankruptcy? Who would have thought that General Motors and Chrysler would be on the cusp of bankruptcy? Who would have thought that Air Canada, which operates in an oligopoly, in a way--they have a great deal of control over the market in Canada--would be unable to compete, to make ends meet, and to meet their pension obligations?
All of these issues are important to employers. Every single cost that an employer is facing, particularly in the current economy, has to be reckoned with. Any costs that are lobbed on top of companies by governments are not welcome in the current economy. When we were operating in a robust economy, people were making money in spite of themselves, and the Canadian dollar was trading at 60ยข, there was an appetite for spending, and there was less concern about what governments might be doing. But in the current environment, all employers are extremely concerned about any costs.
Mr. Komarnicki, I can't comment exactly on the exact point of view of how employers would view this employment insurance, but I can tell you that it's just like any other cost they would be facing. They don't have any appetite for it at this point. If our economy returns and becomes robust, then there may be opportunities to increase our costs in certain areas.