Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you, witnesses, for coming.
The whole reason for these changes is to ensure that we don't have a problem like the $54 billion. The fact is that the money didn't go down a black hole. I'm sure the former government members around the table would say that this money was either spent or had gone to debt repayment.
But our whole purpose is to fix the problem. I have a lot of experience. My background is as an employer in the tourism industry in an area that's somewhat seasonal. So I know of some of the challenges.
We're hearing now—and I know even from the business I was in— that there are worker shortages. Projections tell us that we need to have more workers in Canada. A lot of industries are facing worker shortages, and I heard from a number of our witnesses that there's not enough money, that the $2 billion is not going to be enough. I'd like to hear a little about where you got those numbers and why you don't consider the amount to be enough, in light of the worker shortages we are now experiencing in many industries. I know in my industry, and in the construction industry in some parts of the country, we're hearing that.