Thank you Mr. Chair.
Ladies, gentlemen, thank you for being here with us today. Your testimony is extremely important in the context of our study on the next agricultural policy framework.
My first question is addressed to Mr. Wiggans and Ms. Wildeman.
According to some sources, there has been a serious labour shortage in the agricultural sector over the past 10 years, and this shortage is not going to improve in the coming years. It is even expected to double in the next eight or nine years. This is a very problematic situation, all the more so since the demand for foodstuffs of all kinds is going to continue to increase, given that the population is also increasing both in Canada and elsewhere in the world.
What are two or three solutions the sector might suggest to alleviate this problem?
What can the government do about this issue, which is in my opinion one of the most serious challenges the sector is facing?