Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I'll begin by speaking to all the witnesses.
Gentlemen, I would like your recommendations. You can submit additional information and recommendations in writing after the meeting. The committee members can then discuss them and build on them when preparing the committee report.
I'm especially keen to hear your ideas on how to tackle youth job insecurity and unemployment. I'm thinking in particular of Mr. Buck, who can shed some light on the situation for young people in rural areas.
We spoke briefly earlier about the Canada summer jobs program. Let me give you an example. The Basse Côte Nord residents have a hard time hiring young people given the criteria set out in the Canada summer jobs program. As a result, many jobs are lost. If you have any recommendations regarding this matter, please submit them in writing after the meeting.
I would now like to put two questions to the officials from the Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec.
First, according to a recent Statistics Canada article, youth employment in the accommodation and food services sector declined by 22% across Canada between 2024 and 2025. This doesn't just apply to Quebec, of course. This was also the case in the retail trade sector and the information, culture and recreation sector.
Did this decline have anything to do with the COVID‑19 pandemic? I know that this was a difficult time for the sectors that I just listed. The members of your respective organizations certainly had to deal with these types of challenges.
Mr. Gagnon also spoke about the challenges that lie ahead in education and the fact that the Quebec government must show considerable flexibility in order to tackle them in the coming years. This also applies to the other provinces.
Can you provide examples of successful initiatives in Quebec that could inspire the other provinces and territories?