Industry committee  Here are the four main thrusts that could help us in the short term. First, bringing in foreign workers is a very attractive solution that would help us gain access to skills and experience no longer available in the current job market. To reduce the wait times for this process, the government could do away with labour market impact assessments (LMIAs) for trades experiencing labour shortages.

Industry committee  If it happens in Abitibi‑Ouest or elsewhere in Canada, the regional economy could move somewhere else in Quebec or Canada. If people do not live there, they inevitably will rent small apartments and they won't spend much money in the area, and that will lead to fewer government services.

Industry committee  Thank you for inviting me, Mr. Chair and members of the committee. Table Métal Abitibi-Ouest is a group of seven companies specializing in metal fabrication, with just over 500 workers in the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region of Quebec. Our organization wants to explain our situation and suggest quick solutions that could help us continue to grow despite the labour shortage.