Mr. Speaker, the government keeps saying that employment insurance premiums are determined by an independent body at arm's length from the government and that, in any case, current legislation stipulates that premiums cannot be higher than benefits. Yet the government's recent budget is clear. The government plans to pilfer $19 billion from the employment insurance fund.
How can the government predict that an arm's length organization will go against its own legislation and set premium rates that would allow to rake in $19 billion?