Thanks, Mr. Chair.
Mr. Rempel, this is a wildly popular program, as I believe you could imagine. Well over 90% of the employers who responded commented that it was a very successful program and, of course, our youth responded as well through a voluntary survey. They responded with almost the same level of support, just under 90%. That's almost unheard of for those of us who have been elected officials for a while at any level of government. Getting a 90% score on any service or program that we offer is almost unheard of.
I missed my opportunity, Mr. Chair, to commend the staff who were here last week. We ran out of time, and I wanted to commend them for managing this program, because it is wildly successful.
My question would be around its popularity and the capacity to deliver more services. Of course, the program has doubled since 2015. Our government has doubled support for the program in terms of the number of placements, and it was increased even more so through the pandemic to provide employers, and, of course, obviously, as part of the youth employment strategy, our youth with opportunities through the pandemic to ensure that they gained employment during some very challenging times.
My question would be this. You have been in business for 50 years. I think you mentioned that at the start of your presentation. Could you give us a snapshot of the prepandemic scenario? During the pandemic, how did your organization shift gears to accommodate students and employers under very challenging circumstances, people working from home, and then how did you come out of the pandemic in terms of continuing this program and offering the placements through the employers and the industries you work with?