Mr. Speaker, it is nice to be back in the same place at the same time.
The hon. member knows very well that the new Employment Insurance Act requires that we monitor and assess the impact of the reform on individuals, communities and the economy. He knows that the first report had to be tabled in early 1998.
Given the magnitude of the reforms, the limited time some of the changes have been in place and the time required to obtain and analyse complete information, the 1997 report gives a preliminary assessment of the start-up year of the reform.
This is the first of five reports. It lays the groundwork for subsequent reports that will take a more comprehensive look at how people are adjusting to the reforms. We have already demonstrated that we will respond to concerns. Last year we put in place adjustment projects to address concerns that the reform had created a disincentive to work.
That is why the monitoring and assessment process is so important. It ensures that we are gathering and assessing information on an ongoing basis and enables us to respond when there is a need to do so. However, we will not abandon the reform on the basis of the hon. member's exaggerated claims.
Even though we have preliminary results, there are encouraging signs that people are adjusting to the reform and an improved economy is helping them to do that.
I want to say that we are on the right track. The fact that we are not wasting our time in committee presenting a report to the House of Commons on a preliminary report is a good use of our time as a committee. For the member to suggest that we should review the monitoring report in committee and spend weeks talking to people about it is rehashing what we did last year in committee when we brought in this report. I think we should get on with the business of seeing that Canadians get employment and the economy continues to progress the way it has.