Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Minister, I want to ask you about the EI Commissioner for Employers. As you know, her appointment was up in January, after 10 years. Her name is Ms. Judith Andrew. You have not reappointed an EI commissioner for employers.
You've mentioned a couple of times in our committee today the changes you are looking at making in EI. It sounds as though they are going to be quite substantive. I believe that likely is warranted, given the archaic technology we continue to hear about. My concern is that these changes are being made without an employer voice at the table.
CFIB said that 158,000 small businesses had closed by July of last summer. They estimate that another 220,000 are going to close. I'm just concerned, if there is not an employer and small business voice at the table alongside government and the EI commissioner for workers, that there is a substantial voice being left out that impacts millions of jobs.
Are you in the process of appointing a new person? Can you give me a timeline for when that's going to happen?