Mr. Speaker, this credit helps those who are affected by the current situation and we will deal with the situation as it goes forward into the future.
We not only did that but we also froze EI premiums when the economy required that. If members of the New Democratic Party had their way, they would have increased the EI account by probably $4 billion or more dollars by some of the things they wanted to put in, like the 45 day work year.
The Liberal Party at one point took up to $50 billion out of the EI account, which cleaned out the balance. We said that would not happen again, which is why we have decided that benefits must equal the premiums. That is the principle that we have in place. It is a good principle and we will continue with that.
Where there is a need, we will take action to ensure that employers and employees are not overly burdened.