We're absolutely in agreement with the building trades on this one. Of course, pre-approval is required for EI. What we're looking at—I think everybody at this table understands—is a process of apprenticeship that is on-the-job training interspersed with time in the classroom. In those classroom periods, the apprentices need support. We know what the schedule looks like; we know when they will be off the job site and into the classroom. This is set out in the terms and conditions of the apprenticeship. So a pre-approval of EI would seem to be a simple thing to handle in the system.
On December 6th, 2012. See this statement in context.