Mr. Speaker, in essence the hon. member was talking about the employment insurance fund. He often makes reference to the fact that the moneys in the employment insurance fund are being used for other purposes and how the government must take measures to stop that.
Again I remind the member that the auditor general in 1986 advised the government that any revenue which comes in from employment insurance premiums must flow into the consolidated revenue fund because the government stands behind the program.
In 10 of the last 17 years where the fund was in deficit it was the taxes of taxpayers who may not have paid any employment insurance premiums that went to prop up that account so that those individuals who were on benefits could receive those benefits. It is not just about the fact that those individuals who pay receive benefits. It is also about the fact that those premiums flow into consolidated revenues. In fact it is government that stands behind the program.
While the hon. member talks about the employment insurance program and how it is very necessary, we as a government believe that employment insurance provides a very effective and useful role for Canadians who find themselves temporarily out of work.
The actions taken by the government are directed toward ensuring that our economy performs in a way that small business and large business are able to create employment opportunities for Canadians.
Let us look at the record. Since October 1993 private sector jobs are up almost 1.6 million. Full time jobs are up over 1.2 million. During 1998 alone roughly 450,000 jobs were created and almost all of those were in the private sector.
Along with the employment insurance program, there are other measures that the government has taken to ensure the economy performs to its fullest. We will continue to do that so that Canadians who want to work have the opportunity to be employed.