Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you all for being here. We are hearing from some very interesting witnesses today, witnesses we should have perhaps heard from in the beginning.
We have indeed spent a lot of time and energy studying the technical side of regulating the profession, without even asking the most basic question of all: should we regulate the profession or simply prohibit it? Of course, I am talking about immigration consultants.
We have heard from many people who share your position. The most common arguments made by those who support immigration consultants revolve around cost and accessibility. Lawyers' services are indeed very expensive. So the services of immigration consultants are more accessible to applicants.
Mr. Handfield, you practise law, so perhaps you could paint us an overall picture of the cost of a lawyer versus that of an immigration consultant. I do not want to know what you charge specifically, but how do your fees compare with those of an immigration consultant? How do they stack up in terms of accessibility and government support for less fortunate clients?