Chair, I also want to take this opportunity officially to congratulate you on your election, and to say how delighted I am to be a vice-chair and to be the critic sitting on this committee.
This is a very important area for Canadians. There is nothing that is more important to Canadians right now than employment and decent-paying jobs. Also, the social development issues that come under this committee are all issues that are close and dear to my heart.
I also want to congratulate the parliamentary secretaries on their appointments. I look forward to working at committee on a collegial level. Occasionally we're going to have different points of view; I think that's part of the democratic process, but I want to want to say that I come to this committee to make sure that we find a way to work together in a collegial manner to tackle issues that are important to Canadians.