I almost feel like I should be sharing my time with Mr. Lapointe, but....
Thank you very much, gentlemen, for coming to present to us today.
It's in some respects not surprising, but in some respects a little bit surprising, to hear about the depth of the challenges you're experiencing. We've spent some time travelling throughout western Canada as a committee. Many of the labour shortages or the skills gaps were outlined to us as a committee. My impression today, though, is that it's a far deeper challenge than we had appreciated at first. I'm from northern Alberta, so I can recognize the challenges that you're probably facing.
I want to ask you two specific questions.
One is with respect to those more highly skilled individuals. I'm not talking about someone with a Ph.D., but about someone who either has the skill set to operate the machinery that you need to have operated or who may be on the R and D side of your professions. How deep is the challenge you have? How many people are you lacking? How many months have you been waiting in order to fill those roles? I ask so that we have a true appreciation of the struggles you're having in trying not only to expand your company, but maybe even to just maintain your company, based on what's going on right now in western Canada on the ground and in your industries.