Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I issued a constituency newsletter recently and in it I had a statement about the Workers' Compensation Board's YMIR, or Years Maximum Insurable Earnings. Members will recall that last fall we had legislation to change the YMIR from $49,000 to $52,000. In my newsletter I stated that an injured worker could collect up to $52,000 per year. I received some feedback on that statement from several people and it appears the true picture of the YMIR needs some explanation. The most an injured worker can collect is 90 percent of the net of $52,000 after deductions of such items as CPP, UIC and income tax. For example, a typical northern worker who earned $52,000 or up, would see deductions of about $17,000 for a net pay total of about $34,000. The YMIR would be 90 percent of that $34,000. In fact, even the same worker earning $90,000 could only collect on a base of $52,000 less the deductions of UIC, CPP, income tax, et cetera and would only end up with about $34,000 or $31,000, about one third of his previous pay.

Many people up here in the north earn great high incomes. Should they become injured and go on compensation with a 100 percent disability, their standard of living would plummet dramatically. The point I am trying to make, Mr. Speaker, people should understand exactly what it is that they can expect and my statement today is to give people a sense of what the actual coverage is. Workers and especially employers here in the north need to be informed about this. Hopefully, later today during question period I can ask the Minister responsible some questions on this.