Mr. Speaker, again I ask the hon. member to look at the package in its entirety.
One of the most important changes we have made is to break what has been commonly known as the glass ceiling. That was a very strong recommendation made during the public hearings. That is the rule whereby 15 hours is the dividing line on which eligibility is established.
Many employers across the country establish an artificial barrier, giving work only up to the 15-hour level so they would not have to pay premiums and give people eligibility. As a result a lot of people were denied work and, more important, were denied the opportunity to have the security of the program, to have access to maternity benefits and to have access to the re-employment measures.
We have broken that glass barrier and we will now allow the work to take its natural course. Therefore people will get more hours than they can under the present artificial barrier.
At the same time for part time workers we are establishing a major premium rebate. Close to 1.3 million of the present 2.2 million part time workers who now pay into the system, something the Reform Party has not quite understood yet, will be eligible for a refund of all the premiums to ensure basic balance and equity in the system.