Thank you all.
While you were listening to the interpreters, and since this will be my last series of questions for this week, I want to take this opportunity to congratulate some people who will not be back with the committee next week.
I want to mention first of all our interpreters, Karine, Cécilia and David, who do tremendous work and who are the voices you hear when I speak. I also want to mention Lynne, Sharron and Nardia who work mostly behind the scenes. All the members of the committee are aware of their fantastic work, and we all know how important it is, but I want everyone to know that the Citizenship and Immigration Committee is much more than the few MPs you see before you. It is also those persons who work very hard and do a superb job for us.
I also want to thank Mr. MacAlpine for having said a few sentences in French. He is the first witness to have done so since the beginning of those hearings. I will probably remember that the next time I have to buy groceries.
Let us now deal with your statements about the situation in Québec because I think it would have been important to mention that there have been numerous layoffs in the meat industry. I must say that I find it very difficult to accept the claims that foreign workers are needed to fill labor shortages when in fact some plants are simply being shut down. The only possible explanation for employers wanting to bring foreign workers in this industry in Québec is that they want to put pressure on salaries, which is absolutely contrary to the spirit of the program. I wanted that to be very clear.
Let us now go to questions.
I have been listening closely to your statement, Mr. Ryan, and you probably know that it is very important for us to hear from an organization representing all the immigration consultants in Canada.
How did you validate the position you have expressed today before the committee to make sure that it really reflects what your members think of your organization in Canada?