Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for being here. Regardless of whether the Liberals or the Conservatives have been in power--they are the only ones who have been in power--Canada has always been a compassionate country. The immigration system has never been perfect and never will be perfect, but we must strive toward addressing the issues that you have brought forth, humanitarian issues and compassionate issues.
To some extent, humanitarian and compassionate and economic issues are all linked. With a good economy, a family making a decent living can also have a better standard of living. Children can go to school, etc.
Mr. Mannella, I agree with you 100%, sir, but it's not only Ontario; all provinces--British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba--are seeing a huge surge in the economy because of our real estate construction.
The issue with regard to construction workers has long been a concern. I've been working with Jack Pazeres and others on it. There have always been objections as to why they should be given preference over those who have applied normally. At the same time, you send them back and....
I also want to state at this point that the deportation of construction workers is not a high priority but a low priority. I'd like to ask you what exactly you would like to see happen as far as this is concerned.