We've certainly seen an uptick in the concern over debt and deficit, but this is across all governments, not just in the federal government. That is a growing issue of concern to our members, as shown in our surveys.
With respect to reducing the number of hours for eligibility, we are doing some surveying of our members on issues related to the reduced hours that would be required for new claimants to get on EI. I haven't heard any major hue and cry from small business owners about that.
I have to tell you that we are quite concerned about lowering the threshold, the number of hours that would be required for repeat claims. I think any thought to go in that direction, making it easier to get on or stay on EI, is at odds with the employer's interest. Many small firms feel they are competing for workers against the employment insurance system, and that's something that shouldn't be allowed.
Again, we do want to make sure that it is there for everybody, but we also want to make sure that it isn't terribly easy. I have to say that the numbers of hours that have been discussed in public policy circles are pretty darned low. We really urge you to do careful econometric modelling of what would happen as a result.