Mr. Speaker, I have already indicated that it is certainly a priority for the government to reduce unemployment insurance premiums. Furthermore, we have suited action to word in the past. I must point out that, last year, the decrease in unemployment insurance contributions was, with one exception, the largest decrease since the creation of the unemployment insurance program: $1.8 million.
Second, I told the member that unemployment insurance is not the only drain on payrolls. There are also provincial deductions for health benefits and the CSST. With your permission, I would like to tell you, just to show that there is no magic solution, what the president of the Association des manufacturiers exportateurs du Québec had to say this morning. A survey of its members concerning the decrease in payroll taxes revealed that only 4 per cent of them replied that this measure will lead directly to the creation of jobs.
At the same time, Mr. Ponton said that lowering payroll taxes does not necessarily result in the creation of jobs. This is simply to say that there is no magic solution. Yes, premiums must be lowered, but there is no magic formula.