We bring these people in who produce and who are good citizens, in a temporary sense. Then we make it so difficult for them to apply that they actually can't. We now allow foreign students to work. This changed only recently. That is a great first step. They work while they're here and get their degree. Then we send them back home and make them reapply. I have heard time and again that in light of the shortage of workers we need to treat people with respect and look at other ways.
You suggested, Ms. Verma, that we don't want to call them illegal. The reality is that what they're doing is illegal, but we need to change the system, so that it's not so difficult for someone to get in to help to produce and contribute to Canadian society. We're talking about trying to make the system easier, as opposed to keeping it as complicated as it is right now. I understand that temporary workers are treated differently. What you're suggesting, I hear loud and clear, is that they be given the respect deserved by those who come to produce and contribute to Canadian society.
Thanks for those comments.
Madame Bonsant.