Madam Speaker, the member's underlying question is an important one. Does employment insurance meet the needs of Canadians? This is a question that the government takes very seriously and this is why we welcomed the report published yesterday to which the member opposite refers.
On Monday the department issued its findings. Overall the study indicates that employment insurance does a good job of providing temporary help to unemployed Canadians in between jobs. That is what it was originally intended to do. We are not hiding behind the report. We are proud that 78% of unemployed workers who have lost their jobs or quit with just cause in the last year were eligible for employment insurance benefits.
While opposition parties keep repeating that the proportion of unemployed Canadians who qualify for EI is too low, the fact is that unemployed people not covered by EI can now get help through other programs, which they could not do before.
Some unemployed persons were never meant to be covered by EI at all. For example, self-employed Canadians have never been eligible. Those who have never worked or contributed to the program have never been eligible and those who have been without work for a long period of time have never been eligible.
The new study suggests that many Canadians find it difficult either to get a first job or to return to the workforce after a long period without work. These people need more from us than just an EI cheque to help get them by from week to week. They need the tools to help themselves. That is why we have consistently acted to help unemployed Canadians regardless of whether or not they were eligible for EI.
With the new system, even if some people do not qualify for benefits they can still get the help they need. We have more active employment measures to help people get skills. We ensure that anyone who qualified for EI in the last three years now does have access—