Mr. Speaker, I completely disagree with my colleague who just said that royal recommendation is necessary for the employment insurance bill I introduced in the House of Commons. Employment insurance is not a tax; employment insurance is not an income tax; employment insurance is not a special tax levied by the government like the GST. It is paid for by workers and employers, it belongs directly to them and it should not be used to balance the budget and achieve zero deficits at the expense of people who have lost their jobs.
That is why I am asking the Speaker to study the issue and determine whether transferring the employment insurance fund to the consolidated revenue fund is just a way to take money away from workers without asking their permission.
This is not the same as income tax, GST or other taxes. These are contributions. Since the 1940s and 1950s, the government has been responsible for an insurance program for people who lose their jobs. Now they are saying that royal assent is required because this is money from the consolidated revenue fund. They want to pay down the debt with that money, they want to pay for all kinds of programs and they want to pay for all the programs the government wants to bring in, but they do not want to change employment insurance.
Mr. Speaker, I would like you to reconsider the government's arguments and the arguments I am making. I believe that royal recommendation is not necessary because this is not the government's money. This money belongs to workers and employers. This money should be invested directly in a specific employment insurance program so that people who lose their jobs can benefit.