Thank you for the question.
What we as the Canadian Chamber of Commerce have argued for and very much encouraged, even long before the pandemic, is a comprehensive review. EI is a complex and expensive system. There's part I, which we're more familiar with, but there's also part II.
We've argued that the previous budget, not the one this year, had placed $5 million in the budget for the review. This is really our opportunity to look forward and crack open the future of work. We would argue that you have to look at it all, look at what is needed and then decide where it goes. Not everything belongs in EI. Not everything can belong in EI. We've argued that as well.
The important part of part II is that a significant amount of funds are transferred to provinces and territories. We're not saying it isn't necessary. As to whether it belongs in EI or belongs outside of EI, what does it look like? We're just really encouraging that, as we've always sort of nipped at EI over the past 80 years, this is our real opportunity to open it up.
Our other concern, as I previously expressed, is that we're already $29 billion in debt within the EI account before we do anything else. Through phase one of the consultations, and now as we lean into phase two, there's a lot more pressure coming on the system. I've been here before talking about increased eligibility and pieces around seasonal workers, which have just been announced in division 26. Again, it's not that they're not worthy in themselves, but these are all putting increased pressures on the system. This is the opportunity to look at the system and say what we need, what belongs in, what belongs out and what belongs in terms of costing.
We're quite often asked about whether government should return as a third party into the EI program and system. I can't make an informed response to that, because I don't know what's on the table. I don't know how much it costs. We have to do the costing that surrounds it as well. Again, this is our opportunity to do so, and we will warmly participate in the next round of consultations.