Mr. Speaker, when the Reformers were speaking, we in the Bloc kept quiet, and I would ask them to do likewise.
I have listened with great attention to what the Secretary of State for Finance has had to say. He began by saying, quite clearly: "We are using UI receipts to reduce our deficit" or rather "Revenues from the UI fund will enable us to reduce our deficit". It seems to me that is fairly clear. At the same time, he is trying to convince people with his answers that this is not the case at all. Revenues from the UI fund are to be used as a cushion to protect against future economic crises.
I would really like an explanation, because this is really almost beyond understanding. He is saying that the UI fund will be used to reduce the deficit, and at the same time that these revenues will be used to create a cushion against economic downturns in future. But we know very well they are being used to reduce the deficit. We know very well, for it is written in the budget speech. The UI fund is being used to reduce the debt, moreover it is included in the debt consolidation calculations.
Honesty is needed; the public must be told clearly what the Minister of Finance is up to. In my opinion, the government's
approach to the UI fund smacks of dishonesty. We know very well that, at this time, the fund contains a surplus, which is being used to decrease the debt, and we know very well, too, that UI reform will make it possible to get even more money out in future to eliminate that debt.
What does that mean? It means that the government is using the unemployed, the small and large businesses, each of whom pays into the UI fund, and using those funds to reduce its debt. In other words, this is a new tax, a hidden form of taxation the government is using to reduce its deficit. At the same time it would have us believe that it has not raised taxes for several years, not since it came to power. It says it has not raised taxes or changed the tax system, whereas we know that it is using roundabout, sneaky methods to tax employers and employees, that these funds come from taxes siphoned off from the UI fund, and that they are being used to reduce the deficit.
I would like to know how much more he plans to get, next year, out of the UI fund than will be going back to the unemployed? What amount does he plan to get his hands on to help with his deficit?