Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
Thank you to both of you for being here. You made some very insightful comments.
I would be interested in both of your perspectives on this.
I have had several people in my office who I would say are in their early to mid-50s. They had worked for whatever company they worked for and that job is no longer there for whatever reason. Now they want to get back into the workforce. Obviously, they want to keep working, either because they have to or because they want to, but they're hearing over and over again, when they're applying for jobs and going to interviews, that they are overqualified, and that's the reason the company is not willing to hire them. It's not because they don't like them or don't think they can do the job, but they're hearing this term “overqualified”.
Sarah, from the perspective of the employer, and Martine, from your perspective of doing a lot of work in this area, how do we change that perception in the business and employment community? How do we turn it around to say you're not overqualified and you have a lot of value to bring to this job because of the experience you have?
I'm struggling, as one member of Parliament who meets with constituents in that age category who are trying to find work and are hearing this. Have you got any advice or ideas on how we can turn this negative view into something positive?