I think what we need to do is repurpose the resources that we already have, the opportunities fund being a start, federal-provincial transfer funds being the other. The federal government sets the rules. It's the government that sets the rules, and then departments within the provinces, such as the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities, follow suit based on what the federal government is saying.
It's very important that the federal government set the tone and set the intent of what these monies are to be used for, and how we do interviews and how we educate employers, so that when we do shut down the sheltered workshops, 50% of people who are in sheltered workshops today, who are employable, actually find a job. We can only do that if we open doors. We can't do it by increasing social services or increasing taxpayers' money. None of that will have any effect on this. The only thing that is going to work is if employers see that there's a valid reason to open their doors.
There's one important thing I want to mention about the sheltered workshop, and that is that human beings tend to judge people who have a disability. It's normal; we all do it. I do it. I see somebody who comes into my business with a disability and I do a sort of litmus test. That's even someone like me who has a lot of experience. I think I know the capacity and the capability of that person who's coming through the door. I've hired 145 people in the past 21 years, and I was wrong 145 times about the capability and the capacity of those people, especially if the individual had an intellectual disability.
We do not see the capacity and capability of people who have intellectual disabilities until they receive a paycheque, and that is why people with Down's syndrome and autism are languishing in these sheltered workshops, because nobody has yet seen the capability of those people. That's why we have to get them into the workforce.