The third key point is related to demography, demographic change and population growth in our region. Our universities in Atlantic Canada enjoy an important role in bringing students from around the globe to our region. International students are key drivers of our research, our diversity and our building out the next generations of high-quality employees for Canadian businesses.
We would call for continued focus on the part of IRCC around visa processing. We have concerns about disproportionately high rejection rates for international students in Atlantic Canada. Many colleagues around the table will be well aware of the House of Commons report of 18 months ago on those challenges. We encourage you to think carefully about those. The value of international education is significant for us in Atlantic Canada. It's our way forward. We enjoy and benefit from it, all of us in our region and indeed across our country.
Thank you very much, committee members.