Thank you very much, Mr. Minister.
And thank you so much, Mr. Fadden. I'd like to express my congratulations to you on taking on that new job. I hope it's not the result of working with Mr. Kenney for a few months. I'm just kidding. I really appreciate the service you've given to our country thus far. I look forward to an even greater contribution, and for that, on behalf of the Liberal Party, we are very grateful for your participation.
Minister, thank you for appearing and making this presentation. A lot of things are going on, obviously, in your department. I guess you're double-shifting as multiculturalism minister and immigration minister, which I always find fascinating, because you're either a part-time immigration minister or a part-time multiculturalism minister.
I wanted to say to you that there are so many challenges, in all seriousness, in the department. Waiting times in certain areas have gone up. You have some major challenges on the refugee system, which I hope in the near future we will be looking at in a very serious way. I've often wondered whether this government has provided you with the necessary financial resources to do the job this country needs in the area of immigration. That's one side of the story.
The other side is I was really struck by an article in Maclean's magazine, where you were interviewed. Also in that article I saw a poll that concerned me a little bit about the trends, as it relates to Canadians' tolerance—if that is the proper word to use—as it relates to the interrelationship between cultural groups and religious groups. I think this is some serious work that this committee and you as a minister need to address. There are some real warning signs that the poll indicated and outlined in a very clear way.
While this committee is really interested in working on the issues of the day, whether it's the caregiver program or the refugee system, this trend is of concern to me and requires a great deal of leadership to turn the tide. I was wondering if you share that point of view, and what you are going to do about it.