Thank you, Mr. Chair
Thank you to all of our witnesses for being here today.
I'd just like to give the chair notice that about halfway through I'm going to share my time with MP McCauley.
I would like to start with Ms. Long.
Thank you for your testimony here today. We appreciate your views on this.
I've had some experience with the B.C. nominee program. it seems to have very much the same kind of lines as what you've set out here, where it gives so much discretion that a minister could be subject to lobbying. They could simply make a grouping based on abstract criteria or have been lobbied for a specific group.
That's exactly what seems to happen in the B.C. nominee program. In fact, one case came across my desk where one engineer was being brought in and his wife, children and, I believe, an uncle and a parent were all included under the same file for one position. I worry about how these things come together.
When you say occupation-based selection, would this require a definition to the act or does the occupation-based selection amendment that you're suggesting already exist? How would you best construct this so there is criteria where the government has to show some transparency?