Mr. Speaker, what to do with the $7 billion EI surplus is a question of fundamental fairness that every Canadian understands.
The finance minister says he wants to debate the issue but the fact is that the money is not his to spend. It belongs to the workers and employers who were forced to pay an extra $7 billion into the plan because they have been overcharged for their EI premiums.
It means the average worker is asked to pay $350 too much into this fund every year. It means the employer who hired him pays $500 too much into this fund every year. It means that the finance minister skims billions of extra taxes from the pockets of those least able to afford it.
If the minister chooses fairness he will give this money back to the people it belongs to. If he chooses political expediency he will confiscate the money to get around the law and pad his political slush fund. I hope he chooses fairness.