Madam Speaker, I listened intently to the member's very impassioned plea for the people in Atlantic Canada. I must say I was somewhat moved by it.
I wonder if she is aware of the fact that payroll taxes in Canada are one of the lowest in the industrialized world. The way she talked about them made it sound like they were about the highest. In fact, they are one of the lowest, which makes us a competitive place in which to do business.
My province of Ontario has a premier who has pointed to the EI system as being an unfair transfer from the province of Ontario essentially to Atlantic Canada. He is saying “We already pay money through a transfer payments mechanism, through equalization grants. We do not understand why we should have to pay more money through the EI system to support places like Atlantic Canada”.
Can the member comment on the compassion of the premier of Ontario?