Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you for your testimony, ladies.
The purpose of this study is to reveal the actual situation of workers in the seasonal industry in various regions in Canada, in Quebec and the Atlantic provinces, and to show that seasonal work has various impacts. Between two periods of employment, these workers have neither an income nor a job, a situation that leaves them in tough living conditions. Most groups are seeking an end to the employment insurance black hole, as I believe the Canadian Union of Public Employees is as well.
The training you mentioned can play a role in this regard, but the idea isn't to devitalize the regions or to train workers for other jobs. The idea is for the quality of those jobs and workers to contribute to their regional economies.
As you said, Ms. MacEwen, employment insurance must have a stabilizing effect in order to enhance and increase the value of that work. It is important for employers to be able to rely on skilled workers who come back year after year. However, the black hole encourages people to leave those jobs and to fill others.
If there were to be any measures in the employment insurance program designed to solve this problem and eliminate the black hole, what do you think they should be?