Mr. Speaker, I listened to my colleague's speech with great interest. I especially noted what he said about the Employment Insurance Commission.
The current legislation provides that the Employment Insurance Commission will determine the level of contributions after consultation with the government. The bill introduced by the Liberals proposes that the government alone determine the level of contributions.
Does the member not agree that this change would make legal the misappropriation of the funds contributed by employers and employees, which the federal government has been carrying on for several years? In fact, the surplus has reached more than $30 billion.
Would this measure not make legal such misappropriation of funds? Would it not also turn the employment insurance system into a payroll tax, legalizing a practice the federal government has been developing for several years?
Would such a decision not have a negative effect when in the last parliament all opposition parties, led by the Bloc, put forward a joint proposal to establish a separate employment insurance fund controlled by employers and employees, that is those who contribute to it?