Thank you for being here this afternoon, Ms. Byers and Mr. Shetagne, to testify again about the need for employment insurance reform. Bill C-308 involves only a few aspects of that reform.
Ms. Byers, you gave a very good summary of the situation and put things in context. It was a good idea for you to remind us of the entire debate that took place in 2004, out of which 28 recommendations were made. At that time, some of us on the committee took part in that work. In addition to myself, there were Mr. Godin and the Liberal MP, Mr. D'Amours. Although the Liberals were in power at that time, some Liberal Party members supported that reform and were involved in writing the recommendations. There were also people from the Conservative Party, which was the official opposition at the time.
It is therefore largely a question of the need for employment insurance reform. The argument made is that the situation of unemployed people has improved since 2004. For one thing, there are fewer of them, it seems. For another, people who lose their jobs are treated better because of the measures in place.
I was glad to hear you speak specifically about the situation of women. I would like to know your opinion on that subject. Has the situation of unemployed men and women improved enough to think about giving up on reforming employment insurance?