Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you to all of the witnesses for coming today and sharing your thoughts and experiences.
I want to touch on some of the points that some speakers highlighted. We know this pandemic has brought many things to light.
I was always taught that work is work. Work carries a lot of dignity and honour, and we should recognize people's work as such. Now, as to whether work is defined as “skilled” or not, we've seen throughout this pandemic that industries such as some of the ones that were listed—transport, caregiving, manufacturing and processing—carry so much importance. Before the pandemic, they sometimes weren't given the respect they deserved. We've learned that not only is this work important and considered front-line work, as some mentioned, but it's also essential and saves lives.
Often, these front-line workers are temporary foreign workers. Currently, though, there doesn't seem to be a proper pathway for them. These front-line workers are good enough to be our neighbours and provide essential services, but when it comes to many of the challenges around obtaining a PR, there are so many obstacles for them—