Thank you very much for the question. You're absolutely right; we do have these shortages.
We also have too many individuals who are between the ages of 55 and 64 years, who live in communities that are perhaps a one-industry or a one-employer town, and who because of our global economy and other factors are finding themselves suddenly and unexpectedly out of work.
That's unfortunate, and we believe we need to help these people, because they still have a lot to contribute, frankly. We know that from an economic point of view, if they can be employed, that's a good thing. It's good for the country; it's good for them. But even from a health point of view people are better off when they have high self-esteem, when they're working.
That's why we brought in the older workers program, which is a two-year program, to be worked in conjunction with the provinces that choose to sign on, to help suddenly displaced older workers not only develop skills to help them find jobs—and frankly, many of them have never had to look for a job, because they've been with that company for 30 years—but also to help them develop new skills and work experience so that they can find other jobs. We want this program to be run in conjunction with economic development projects in the area.
We're seeing significant examples in Newfoundland at the moment, where while some fish plants are closing other opportunities are being created. While a lot of the people who are being displaced aren't highly skilled, they can be retrained for these new job opportunities.
We're looking forward to working with each of the provinces on this exciting new initiative.