For the purposes of the report, the surplus was not $16 billion, but $13.2 billion, with $2 billion coming from workers who had already lost their job. There was a $2 billion employment insurance surplus. That was simply a point of information. That was in the 1996 cuts. I can't remember which government was in power in 1996.
On December 12th, 2006. See this statement in context.