Mr. Speaker, I would like to respond to my colleague's question in the short time that I have.
The new EI bill is intended to help people get back to work. There is no doubt that we have moved from a passive system to a very active system. The employment benefits are there to assist participants in obtaining employment and to help them continue with their skills development if necessary.
If we look at the employment insurance bill, under part II there are a number of new tools for people who are looking for work. These tools, when agreements are signed with the provinces in the next year, will be the cornerstone of that very active participation of governments in helping people get back to work.
As well, we are now going to a new system on January 1, 1997 which intends to put all part timers into the system. Some 500,000 people will have access to employment insurance for the first time.
As well, we put in place as the member mentioned a system of family supplements. This recognizes that there are many people at the low end of the income scale who need protection and through no fault of their own at times find it very difficult to find work. We want to protect, to better target and to assist families with children who have incomes of no more than $25,921. We also put the family supplements in place and linked them to the child tax benefit. This is a top up of regular benefit rates to not more than $413 per week.
At the same time the maximum benefit rate in 1997 for those on the family supplement will be 65 per cent of annual insurable earnings, while the recipient who falls under the normal category will collect 55 per cent of their annual insurable earnings. Eventually over the next four years, once the whole program is in place, an individual who is collecting family supplements will be able to get a maximum benefit rate of 80 per cent of their annual insurable earnings.
There is a great potential through the new EI system to help those who are at the low end of the scale. It is important as well to emphasize that this is a bill which recognizes seasonal employees. Because of the fact that we have gone from a weeks based system to an hours based system, quite frankly that particular system will help-