Finance committee  Oh, I agree. Certainly the length of the benefits should be looked at, maybe not on an individualized basis but as more of a long-term kind of thing, because you only look back for a very short period of time to determine how long their benefits are going to be. And if there are people who have had access to it several times over a short period of time, then maybe their next claim should be a little bit shorter.

Finance committee  Actually, we have been looking at that. We have a community representative from the CAW working in Windsor, working with Sandra Pupatello and her office. I know we're talking federal-provincial here.

Finance committee  But they're actually moving a facility into what used to be a facility in Windsor that closed down. They're going to be making wind turbines, so they're going to be creating 200 jobs in Windsor. They're bringing that work down to Windsor because of the high unemployment in Windsor, where those jobs didn't exist before.

Finance committee  At 9:30.

Finance committee  I know of people personally who have moved for employment. I know some people who have gone out west. I know some people who left Windsor because we've lost plants, who have transferred up to Brampton, for example, because there's employment there. Certainly in terms of supporting people who are looking for employment, I think that's a good thing.

Finance committee  Yes. If people are abusing the system, I don't see any reason why they shouldn't be held accountable. However, for most of the claims, if the individual files the claim electronically, it's supported by an electronic filing from their employer, so the EI system has the ability to very quickly verify the information that's in the application prior to paying out the funds.

Finance committee  Oh, okay. That was the other recommendation. I wanted to speak to both of them.

Finance committee  That's correct.

Finance committee  That's correct.

Finance committee  I'd like to address that, if I could. When you buy house insurance and your house burns to the ground, the insurance company builds you a new house, regardless of how much money you have in the bank. When people put money into the unemployment system, which is collected by the government, it's in trust for them until they have a time of layoff.

Finance committee  Thank you. Good afternoon. Thank you to the committee for allowing me the time to address you today. My name is Richard St. Denis. I'm from Windsor, Ontario, a city with one of the highest unemployment rates in the country. I'm also a proud member of the Canadian Auto Workers, CAW Local 444, working at Chrysler Canada in one of the hardest hit segments of our economy, the manufacturing industry.