Thank you very much.
I think it's very clear—and not much of this is being denied by anybody—that the data we're using to inform some of our decisions around training, immigration, or any of the other issues, really seems to be not present. I was interested that today in the media we're reading stories of how a new skill stream is going to be expedited for Canada in the immigration process, through the LMO, using that as data. I keep thinking that we've had hundreds and thousands of violations of those LMOs. I am not sure why so many were given out while people are being laid off work. Canadians are being laid off work while at the same time when we get to LMDAs....
Let me just reiterate, having well over 350,000 temporary foreign workers, and many of them in jobs that Canadians could be doing and are willing to do, that's what they have come out and said, not just to us but to government, that it is a major concern that we are lacking data.
I've heard a different perspective from Ms. Wood today as to how she thinks that data really needs to be compiled if we want it to really serve us well, and the need for the provinces and the territories to work together, as well as the federal government. But the bit that I want to focus on today is the access to and administration of the LMDAs. I don't think any of us around this table are unaware of some pitfalls. We are hearing from some of the provinces on this. When the Canada job grant was announced, especially, there was this kind of guttural response, visceral I would say, asking what are you doing? We've just got our infrastructure working and now we feel under attack again.
We do need a revised framework. One of the things we keep hearing is that fewer than half of unemployed Canadians have access to EI funds and, therefore, LMDA money. I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts on that. I'd like to start with Ms. Wood, and then I have other questions.