Yes, that announcement, recently, by the immigration minister was welcome news to the 6,000 caregivers who are waiting for determination of their applications, and the fact that their families are also included in that determination is really welcome news to those caregivers.
The only thing that I would like to point out at this point is that we're also aware that there are caregivers who have already lost their status because of the long wait in LMIAs. Some of them, due to no fault of their own, have lost their status and the ability to work with legal contracts or work permits. We are concerned about those types of caregivers because those are the ones who are in need of advocacy. They need to be brought into the light so that there won't be as many precarious situations for them in terms of vulnerability, abuse and exploitation.
We would like to recognize the work that these undocumented caregivers have done in the past, prior to losing their status. Providing them with an amnesty program in which we could bring them back on track to work legally again is, I think, a step in the right direction as well.
Especially in this pandemic time, we hear of people needing essential workers or caregivers right this minute, but because of the backlog or even the bottleneck in the applications outside of Canada....
Remember, as I said earlier, we haven't really heard about those applications under the two new programs to be admitted to Canada. There really is a dire need for these caregivers to be on hand and working when they are needed. I thought that these caregivers having lost their status would mean a solution to that kind of problem that we're facing now in addressing the shortage of these foreign caregivers.
Maybe this committee would like to reconsider providing a program of amnesty for these non-status caregivers who might be a big help in continuing to grow the economy in Canada. That would mean that working families could leave for work without having to think about people looking after their children, people with disabilities or seniors who are at home. Canada can actually benefit so much from having these caregivers who have lost their status. They're still here, and they need another chance to get back on track.
I would put it before the committee to please reconsider that and just take a look at that project. There was one project like that—