Thank you, Mr. Chair.
First of all, let me welcome all of you. You're from my home province of B.C., and I think I'm the only MP from B.C. It's nice to see you, Mr. Chan.
I think all of us are familiar with the system. We know that the immigration system has been broken for many years. What with the wait times and backlogs, things are out of control and change is essential. We agree with this. The potential immigrants, especially from India and China, are waiting too many years for verdicts on their applications. The changes we are proposing to the immigration legislation will tackle the 900,000-plus backlog. The changes will help to ensure that people with badly needed skills will gain quick admittance to Canada.
In your submission, you expressed a concern over potential discrimination. Ministerial instructions must comply with the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which protects against discrimination based on race, ethnicity, colour, religion, sex, or whatever. The instructions must be published in the Canada Gazette and reported in the immigration department's annual report to Parliament. Considering all these facts, do you think any minister would publicly issue a discriminatory instruction? Do the charter and the Canadian Human Rights Act address your concerns?