Mr. Speaker, it is flattering that the Liberal Party has been attracted to the measures the NDP is proposing. We did put forward a proposal to give a tax credit to small businesses to hire new people, especially youth. We think that is a positive measure. We would encourage the government to pick up on that.
Where we disagree with our Liberal colleagues is that we do not want to tap into the EI fund to pay employers to hire people. That is the difference. They may be trying to get to the same place, but we do not agree with how they are doing it.
The EI fund is paid for by employers and workers. Frankly, in the city of Toronto right now, only about 20% of unemployed workers are actually getting EI benefits. We want the money in the EI fund used to give unemployed workers the benefits they have paid for and are entitled to help them transition to a new job, rather than have the money given back to employers. We do not think that is a useful thing.