With respect to the proposed regulations to change the employment insurance boundaries based on statistical data on unemployment rates in New Brunswick, the response is as follows:
(a) The statistical data was provided by a public source; (b) The name of the public source is Statistics Canada. (c) The data was evaluated using regression analysis and mapping of aggregated and disaggregated indicators. (d) The data came from the 1996 census, from neighbourhood income and demographics data for 1997 and from labour force survey data up to April 2000; (e) No analysis was made of which federal ridings will be affected by these changes; (f) Basic census data are collected for all households in Canada and from one out of every five households on topics such as education, ethnicity, mobility, income and employment; neighbourhood income and demographics data are produced by Statistics Canada on an aggregated basis from all income tax returns filed; the Labour Force Survey is a monthly survey which is based on over 50,000 households in Canada; (g) All areas of New Brunswick were covered by the data. (h) All workers in Canada were covered by the data, numbering 15,047,895 workers; (i) There was no analysis done on full time workers compared to other workers; (j) There was no analysis done on part time workers compared to other workers; (k) Seasonal employment was approximated on the basis of whether workers were employed for 26 weeks or less in the year, producing an estimate of 3,016,430 seasonal workers in Canada and 114,075 in New Brunswick. (l) There was no special data collection or cnsultation aimed at major employers in New Brunswick or elsewhere, aside from the overall opportunity for public comments.