Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Before I ask any questions, I would like to say publicly that the NDP is opposed to this bill in its present form. As part of the budget, the immigration and refugee protection legislation is being amended and so are about 50 other acts. That should be dealt with in a separate bill and in a completely separate study by the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities. In fact, in 2009, a one-year study was conducted by the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration. Proposals were made, but nothing or virtually nothing was done with them.
We are only going to look at seven sections from the act that deal with the underlying problems. We might make some recommendations to the Standing Committee on Finance, which is not even required to accept them. That is not very democratic.
I will ask the same questions as my colleague because I don't think we received an answer.
A year ago, the minister was told that some employers were abusing the system. On May 29, 2012, the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development received a memo indicating that temporary foreign workers were coming to Alberta to work at food banks while hundreds of Albertans who had similar work experience were unemployed.
Why did it take one year and two departments to amend this section of the act and why were Canadian workers not informed by the government, which is supposed to protect them? They had to find out from the media.