Mr. Speaker, during the ice storm the Minister of Human Resources Development publicly encouraged the unemployed to apply in advance for employment insurance benefits, adding that he would show a great deal of compassion toward them.
Everyone understood that, given the plight of thousands of families, the government would show flexibility and, more specifically, would waive the two-week penalty that applies.
Can the minister tell us whether or not the unemployed affected by the ice storm will have to pay back the extra money paid to them, given the two-week penalty?