Absolutely. That is a terrific suggestion. We have followed that program closely.
It is very similar to the recommendation we made to government to consider something called an “introduction to Canada visa”. It would build on the temporary foreign worker program, but it would start somebody who comes over on a temporary basis on a pathway to permanent residency. I think that was the challenge of the previous program when it was, unfortunately, scaled back.
The Atlantic immigration project proposal really does address many of the design faults in our current immigration system. It allows employers a greater say in terms of bringing immigrants in to fill specific labour market shortages. When we did that in my home province in Manitoba through the provincial nominee programs, we found that a large percentage of those immigrants who came to those communities to take those jobs ended up staying as permanent residents in those communities. That helps spread the benefits of immigration across the country.