Mr. Speaker, the hon. member for Battle River—Crowfoot has expressed full confidence in the “Fiscal Monitor”. I wonder if he would acknowledge that very same document shows, in table 2, between April and November 2015, that employment insurance premiums were $14 billion, while table 3 shows that employment insurance benefits were only $12 billion. That difference of $2 billion more than explains the razor-thin surplus of $1 billion for which the Conservatives are trying to congratulate themselves.
The member for Battle River—Crowfoot also mentioned layoffs in the resource sector in his home province of Alberta. We have the same challenge in Saskatchewan. I wonder if the hon. member would join with the NDP in calling for an improvement to employment insurance benefits to help workers in the energy sector who have been laid off.