Thank you, Madam Chair.
First, I would like to commend you on your presentation. You are talking about real things and real values. It's good to hear that kind of thing in a parliamentary committee.
My question goes to Ms. Harvey, who represents the region of Charlevoix and the Haute-Côte-Nord, which are hard hit by unemployment and have a large portion of seasonal jobs. People sometimes make the mistake of referring to seasonal workers, but it is not the workers who are seasonal. They're not labelled that way and don't have it tattooed on their forehead. They are workers in the seasonal job industries. You may think that this is a question of semantics, but I think that we should set the record straight, so people realize that we are talking about the whole range of seasonal industries, forestry work, fishing, tourism, and hotels and inns. It would be nice if these industries functioned year-round, but that is not the reality. Frequently, in our regions, things shut down in October, after Thanksgiving, and do not open again until May.
I would like you to explain to committee members—especially since today is March 17—what is commonly called the “black hole”. This hole is something the bill is trying to fill by adding weeks of benefits. Please explain the phenomenon that you experience in the Charlevoix region.