Thank you very much, Madam Chair.
First of all, I'd like to thank each and every one of you for being with us today.
I've been thinking a bit about the question my colleague asked earlier.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada data on the refusal rate for study permits indicate that people applying from African countries, particularly francophone Africa, have a much higher refusal rate than those applying from other parts of the world.
So I have three questions about this.
According to the department, what are the causes in this agreement that explain these refusal rates?
How is the department addressing this issue?
What steps, if any, is the department taking to reduce these refusal rates?