Mr. Speaker, I listened with interest to what my colleague had to say. I know she has a great interest in EI, the employment insurance. I was pleased to see that the premiums came down for the 10th year. I understand her other arguments about the fund but did she take into consideration some of the additional expenditures from the fund which have occurred in recent years?
As members know, employment insurance is what it says. When people are unemployed, it gives them time to move between jobs. That is very important. The fund also supports the disability pensions which unfortunately any of us could find ourselves drawing on at any time in our careers. It is not a matter of being unemployed but a matter of being disabled.
However in recent years I have noticed two developments which involve costs based on EI premiums. One is the parental leave and parental leave extension, which I supported very strongly. It allows the parents of a child a considerable period of time, using the EI fund to support them. What does she think of that? It is an additional expenditure from the fund.
In this budget allowance was made for caregiver leave, the so-called palliative leave. This will also be paid from the funds which are gathered through the EI program. My understanding is that it is up to a month of leave for looking after someone who is terminally ill. This is something that I support very much.
What does the member think of these two additional expenditures from the EI fund in recent years, parental leave and palliative leave?