Finance committee  I think most of the discussion has focused on the possible effect of the clause in the bill that gives the Canada Employment Insurance Commission the authority to make regulations, but that's as far as this legislation goes. We wouldn't have anything to add to the discussion abou

Finance committee  As a general rule, changes to employment insurance legislation are not modelled, because that requires us to make assumptions about behavioural change based on EI rules, and there is no sound mathematical conceptual basis for doing so.

Finance committee  So in that sense, they've withdrawn from the labour force.

Finance committee  That's correct.

Finance committee  They don't actually have any effect on the amount of benefits people receive or on how long they receive them. They set out what they must do while they are receiving benefits in terms of job search efforts. Should employment opportunities be available that match their skills and

Finance committee  —who have given up searching for work. They're no longer counted as unemployed, because if they were surveyed they would say they're not looking for work.

Finance committee  The EI program is in fact funded from general consolidated revenue.

Finance committee  It always has been. Premium revenues are deposited into the consolidated revenue fund and benefits are paid from it. As the Auditor General has noted in the past, the preceding EI account and the current EI operating account are tracking accounts that keep track of premiums and b

Finance committee  I think you may actually be talking about three separate things. There's the unemployment rate, which reports on the number of people who are unemployed and actively searching for employment as a proportion of the total labour force. That would be your 7% or 8% number. The people

Finance committee  And according to the forecast provided to them by their actuary of what the expected premium revenues and program expenditures for the forthcoming year will be.

Finance committee  The budget implementation act of 2008 was passed by Parliament and created this authority and this structure and this board.

Finance committee  It is an independent, arm's-length crown corporation that will set premium rates and will ensure that any future surpluses are held and invested until they can be returned to premium payers.

Finance committee  As budget 2010 states, starting with the premium rate for 2011, the CEIFB will be responsible for setting premium rates. What the budget contains is a forecast of economic conditions and the probable application of this legislation, should it pass.

Finance committee  Yes.

Finance committee  That's correct.