Mr. Speaker, the government has been saying since October, and I reaffirm today, that the best available information from Statistics Canada shows that 78% of unemployed Canadians who have lost or quit a job with just cause were eligible for EI benefits. This 78% is based on a new survey by Statistics Canada specifically designed to answer questions about EI coverage. Indeed the survey is called the Employment Insurance Coverage Survey.
A study released by the department in the fall concludes that the BU ratio, which is the number the member opposite chooses to use, that is the 42%, is the indicator used by the member to confuse and frighten workers but is not, I repeat not, a good indicator of coverage effectiveness by the EI system because it includes all unemployed Canadians irrespective of their attachment to the labour market or whether they have paid into the EI program or not.
Does the hon. member suggest that all unemployed Canadians should automatically receive EI? For example, should someone who has never worked a day in his or her life be entitled to EI? Should someone who decides to quit a job in order to go back to school be entitled to EI? If someone is self-employed and does not pay premiums, should he or she be entitled to EI? If someone is being paid severance pay, should he or she receive EI at the same time?
Unemployed Canadians who need help and who are not eligible for EI are supported by a range of other programs such as the youth employment strategy, the Canadian opportunities strategy, the transitional jobs fund, the post-TAGS program, other active employment measures which help people get the skills they need to get back to work, and the new hires program which helps employers to hire more young Canadians.