I'm concerned about that as well. But the fact of the matter is that these people are here because our immigration system wasn't responsive to the needs of the economy and that's why these folks are working. If they all left tomorrow, we'd have a really serious problem. But it also affords us the opportunity to see those who are here. If they perform well, fit in, pay their taxes, and don't have a criminal record, it just makes sense to allow them to apply and to keep them.
You're right, Minister, some previous ministers said exactly the same thing you just said and some were Liberal ministers. That was written for them by the bureaucracy, which has always maintained the same position. The only thing I'm saying is Minister Volpe was in the process of regularization, and the bureaucracy didn't particularly like it, just like the bureaucracy didn't like to change the Citizenship Act.
You know, Minister, you just have to deal with that, because we can't afford to get rid of all these folks who are part of the economy. They're contributing to the economy. They have adapted to this country. It should have absolutely nothing to do with how many more people are waiting in line, because we can get those folks in. We've got a shortage of people, and this would help address that.