The bulk of the information and the good news has been presented. I would like to make a couple of comments and just reiterate, perhaps, some important points. One was referenced earlier today, and that's to enhance the structure to welcome families, not just individuals. That is an absolute criterion for our immigrants to be long-term Canadian citizens, should they choose, and more importantly to enhance their time in our country. It's absolutely critical.
Also, I think I would encourage you and the department to look at opportunities to allow, and more important, to welcome provincial government representatives to work within the consulate offices in select countries. We've talked here in Saskatchewan about picking three or four countries that are important to us in terms of key origins of our needed workforce. If we were to have an opportunity where it was easy for us not just to be allowed but, as I said a minute ago, welcome to have our folks in those consulate offices, we think the process would be much more expedient.
I don't want to leave this session without congratulation for the announcement made just a few months ago—and Ed was kind enough to be in Regina to make the announcement on behalf of the government—of expanded dollars to the settlement process. As Jan has just said, that's critical to the success of the immigrant to the province. We have some hard-working folks in this province who have done a good job of it, and we congratulate you and once again thank you for those announcements.
My final comment will be not a threat or a warning but a caution. Other countries that have challenges to their immigration system—one just south of us—have found that when people couldn't get in the country legally, their illegal immigrants were of significant number and were therefore a long-term, significant challenge. We don't have that challenge in Saskatchewan now. I think in Toronto and perhaps some of the larger centres there are more folks who are indeed, by definition, illegal.
I say it again, not because our business community is starting to move in that direction but because our business community is in dire need of workers. They are looking at creative, legal opportunities, but the confusion you've heard today, and I'm sure you'll hear as these sessions continue, will drive some of these folks to say, “What other opportunities have we?”
As the Saskatchewan chamber, we are not advocating and we are not supporting anything that would bring in an illegal worker. However, I say as a caution to you that if we as a country don't get this issue solved to bring in these people who want to be here, the demand will be not only on our businesses to look at these as options but—more importantly and more likely—from the immigrants themselves, when they see what their options are where they live now and what the opportunities are in Canada. They will take the chance, cross the border, and do as they have done in other countries.
I hope that doesn't happen. We're not anxious for it to happen, and we'll work against that, but I need your support in order to make sure the process is fluid enough so that it isn't a requirement of doing business in or living in this country.
Thank you.