Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I'd like to thank the presenters.
Unfortunately, Mr. Telegdi wasn't here when we were talking about some of the grave labour shortages that are experienced across the country, certainly by your organization, Ms. Reynolds. There is no doubt our country needs a lot of people to fill a lot of positions that we can't fill from within our country.
I've been from hearing a number of witnesses that they're looking for some type of bridge from temporary status to permanent status. The examples of that are the Canadian experience class. When you've been in Canada for a number of years, you can then apply for permanent residence. The provinces have been invited to uptake on the provincial nominee program--i.e., you can actually set out the categories you would like to nominate and the federal government will allow you to meet the regional-provincial needs that you might have. I know in Saskatchewan, for instance, if you're a temporary resident and you've been in the province for six months, you can apply through the provincial nominee program, which eventually gives you landed status.
It seems to me that notwithstanding your having temporary workers come in, the idea that a lot of people expressed is to bring them into a permanent resident status.
The other aspect is that if you have a job and you can bring your family, you are likely to stay. There's been a suggestion that the spouses of the people who come should be given open work permits so they too can work and their children can come with them. Many of them are quite able and qualified, and there's a demand for labour. You can find yourself in an awkward situation when the child or the spouse is able to work but doesn't have that ability. So there's been some suggestion that we ought to expand that and find a means to offer them permanent residence.
I'd like to ask you for a comment about that aspect that we heard from Joyce and also from Ms. Hennebry.
I'll conclude with a question to Silvia with respect to CREWS. I'm wondering if the provinces really have a good uptake with CREWS, which I understand caters to the construction industry. Or is not working as it's meant to? There are a number of undocumented workers, if you want to call them that, who are working in the industry without going through that process. Has there been any intention of looking at the provincial nominee program, which gives the province a whole new type of jurisdiction to deal with workers who may be needed in construction and other industries?
Perhaps Joyce could start.