Mr. Speaker, I rise once more to talk about the employment insurance pilot projects for areas of higher unemployment, certainly above 10%. Well over 100 petitions at this point are asking that these pilot projects be made permanent. Since 2005, they have been extended time and again. The last extension went from September and October into June.
The petitioners are calling upon the government to make these projects permanent. Obviously, if they have been extended three or four times over a period of six years, then the government must believe that they are doing good and therefore deserve to be made permanent.
Once again, these projects include the best 14 weeks, working while on claim and, of course, the extended weeks.
I am hoping that the government will consider these petitions and this particular one from the Port Blandford area as well as Bunyan's Cove.