If you're at the table of the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food, it's because you're in contact with agricultural producers and agri-food people. So you know that there are huge needs. Some crazy things are going on right now. For example, there is a foreign worker who has been coming here for 17 years in a row and has to go through the whole process all over again. Some producers have to provide market research every year, regardless of the sector.
I'm sure that together we can find solutions by listening to the witnesses. In fact, they will provide us with possible solutions to speed up the process and make life easier for everyone by reducing paperwork. This will lead to greater efficiency, particularly with respect to work sharing. At present, it is extremely difficult, if not virtually impossible, for producers to enter into work-sharing agreements because the time frames are too long.
In case of flooding, for example, you can't work in the fields. Suppose it lasts three weeks. During that time, the workers do nothing, and their employer cannot send them to a neighbour who needs the labour. They have to fill out forms, which take six weeks to process. These three weeks are therefore lost for both the neighbouring producer and the temporary foreign workers.
There are all sorts of similar examples. I'm going to stop here, but it's a major irritant for our farm businesses. So I encourage you to vote for the motion.