Mr. Speaker, in part what the member for Halifax has talked about is that we often hear the rhetoric that thousands of jobs have been created. The reality is that in many of our communities we simply are not seeing those jobs.
What we are seeing is that many times when jobs are created, they are often low wage, part time, seasonal jobs. Many people are actually having to work two and three jobs simply to keep food on the table for their family.
Then we take a look at the Employment Insurance Act and the changes to that act that unfolded in 1995-96. Over the last many years there is a decreasing number of people who are actually eligible. Women in particular have been very hard hit. Fewer and fewer women now qualify for EI, because many of the women who pay into the employment insurance fund are in part time, seasonal and contract employment.
I wonder if the member could comment on the kinds of changes she thinks are important to make to the employment insurance fund so that workers from coast to coast to coast actually are entitled to the benefits when they have paid into that fund.