Thank you, Mr. Chair and honourable members.
I will start and then give the floor to MaƮtre Arsenault and then Mr. Greene.
The Canadian Bar Association is very pleased to appear before your committee today. The issue of who can represent those applying to immigrate to Canada has been an issue before the Canadian Bar Association as long as it has been before Parliament, before the government, and, indeed, before the courts. We come to this issue with the optic of what is best for the administration of justice within Canada.
I should mention that we will talking in our remarks about lawyers, but given our short time, we will mention not only the lawyers who are regulated by the law societies in each province and territory, but also the Quebec notaries, who are regulated by the Chambre des notaires.
With me today is Chantal Arsenault, who is the chair of our citizenship and immigration law section, and Mr. Greene, who is a past chair of that same section.
I will ask Chantal to continue.