What was announced in Budget 2007 was $500 million, starting in 2008-09. It's $500 million a year of funding for programs that are to be delivered by the provinces and territories.
The budget made it clear the intent is for the eligibility to be very broadly determined. There's really one eligibility criterion, which is that you are not eligible for employment insurance.
This implies that a series of steps need to be taken to get from the budget announcement to programs that are up and running.