Thank you, Madam Clerk. I call this meeting to order.
Welcome to meeting number eight of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities. Pursuant to the orders of reference of March 24, April 11 and April 20, 2020, the committee is meeting for the purpose of receiving evidence concerning matters related to the government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Today's meeting is taking place by video conference and the proceedings will be made available via the House of Commons website. The webcast will always show the person speaking rather than the entirety of the committee. In order to facilitate the work of our interpreters and ensure an orderly meeting, I would like to outline a few rules to follow.
First, interpretation in this video conference will work very much like in a regular committee meeting. You have the choice at the bottom of your screen of either “floor”, “English” or ”French”. In order to resolve sound issues, please ensure that you are on the English channel when speaking English, and on the French channel when speaking French. I would specifically ask for the witnesses to take note of that. If you plan to alternate from one language to the other, please also switch the interpretation channel so it aligns with the language you are speaking.
Before speaking, please wait until I recognize you by name, and when you are ready to speak, please click on the microphone icon to activate your mike. I remind you that all comments by members and witnesses should be addressed through the chair.
It's the same rules with respect to points of order. Members, if you have a point of order, please indicate so by unmuting your mike and identifying yourself. If you wish to speak on a point of order that has been raised by someone else, please use the “raise hand” function.
When speaking, please speak slowly and clearly. When not speaking, your mike should be on mute. As you've heard during the sound check, the use of headsets is strongly encouraged. If you have a microphone on your headset that hangs down, please make sure it's not rubbing on your shirt while you are speaking.
If any technical challenges arise, for example in relation to interpretation or if you are accidentally disconnected, please advise the chair or clerk immediately, and the technical team will work to resolve them. Please note that we may need to suspend during these times as we need to ensure that all members are able to participate fully.
Before we get started, can you all click on your screen in the top right-hand corner and ensure that you are in gallery view? With this view you'll be able to see all of the participants in a grid view and it will ensure that all video participants can see one another.
With that by way of preliminaries, I would now like to thank the witnesses for joining us today. From the Foreign Agricultural Resource Management Services, F.A.R.M.S., we have Ken Forth, president. From the International Longevity Centre Canada, we have Margaret Gillis, president; and Kiran Rabheru, chair of the board. Also, from the Migrant Workers Centre, we have Juliana Dalley, staff lawyer.
I understand that our witnesses have some opening remarks.
Mr. Forth, please proceed. You have the floor for 10 minutes.