I call this meeting to order.
Welcome to meeting number nine 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, 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 will outline a few rules to follow.
First, interpretation in this video conference will work very much as in a regular committee meeting. At the bottom of your screen, you have the choice of floor, English or French. I would ask that the witnesses who are listening pay close attention to this. The MPs are used to it. 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. 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. When you are ready to speak, please click on the microphone icon to activate your mike.
I would remind you that all comments by members and witnesses should be addressed through the chair.
Should a member need to request the floor outside their designated time for questions, they should activate their mike and state that they have a point of order. However, if you wish to speak to a point of order that has been raised by another member, please use the “raise hand” function.
When speaking, please speak slowly and clearly. When you are not speaking, your mike should be on mute. The use of headsets is strongly encouraged and I see that our compliance level is getting better.
Primarily to our witnesses again, if you have a microphone on your headset that hangs down, please make sure that it is not rubbing on your shirt during your questioning time.
Should any technical challenges arise, such as in relation to interpretation or if you are accidentally disconnected, please advise the chair or the 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, if you haven't already done so, if you click on “gallery view” at the top right of your screen, you'll be able to see all video participants. It will ensure that everyone can see one another.
With those preliminaries covered, I will now thank the witnesses for joining us today.
We have with us the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, the Honourable Marco Mendicino. He is accompanied by officials from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada: Catrina Tapley, deputy minister; Marian Campbell Jarvis, assistant deputy minister, strategic and program policy; and Louis Dumas, acting associate deputy minister, operations.
As well, from Employment and Social Development Canada, we have Philippe Massé, director general, temporary foreign worker program, skills and employment branch; and Tara Cosgrove, executive director, integrity services branch.
Minister Mendicino, the floor is yours. You have 10 minutes.