Good afternoon.
I usually begin by thanking the committee for inviting me. Today, however, I want to say instead that you have been the committee least respectful of its witnesses in the past 13 years. Madam Chair, in my opinion, you are the one who has had the least control over the conduct of this meeting in a manner respectful of your guests.
I am flabbergasted. In the business community, we have to deal with the delays in processing the applications of temporary and permanent immigrants.From now on, I think I'll use this meeting as inspiration when I speak publicly. I'm dumbfounded.
Immigration is clearly one of the central economic challenges facing Quebec and Quebec society, as you may have observed in the last provincial election. The labour shortage is a major concern for the business community, one that affects the economy's ability to develop and that of our businesses to grow adequately. As a result, an enormous amount of attention is paid to the number of vacant positions in Quebec's economy and to immigration-related challenges. Immigration is one of the solutions to that labour shortage.
Delays in the system are clearly a major obstacle for us. Caused by Quebec government processes in some instances and by those of the Government of Canada in others, those delays affect temporary migration, and thus temporary foreign workers, and permanent immigration.
The present situation creates considerable confusion, which obscures accountability for both federal and provincial processes. People in the business sector call me with their problems. They can't determine which person or order of government is responsible. In addition, both orders of government automatically shirk their responsibilities; each one always asserts that the other is responsible for the delays that businesses and immigrants suffer.
Now I'll say out few words about temporary immigration and temporary foreign workers.
The temporary foreign workers program is essential. Unacceptable delays occur from the moment businesses find temporary foreign workers. Those delays may be as long as one year, which is really too long. The purpose of this program is to meet immediate needs by calling upon qualified and available resources.
It is unacceptable for federal government processes to take so long from the moment individuals are selected. Then there is a transition to permanent immigration, and, once again, the situation is mind-boggling. There are delays in Quebec. Waiting time for the Quebec selection certificate is 11 months. It then takes another 24 months to obtain residence from the federal government.
It's easy to say that the 11‑month time in Quebec is too long, but a 24‑month wait courtesy of the Canadian government is equally absurd. The delay in the rest of Canada obviously totals 26 months. We don't have an 11‑month delay as in Quebec, which explains why temporary workers in Quebec want to move elsewhere in Canada to try to accelerate the process.
We acknowledge that the federal government has invested additional funding in the past year and has committed to hiring more staff. We also acknowledge that efforts are currently being made. However, there is an obligation of result. Regarding expected results, it's been said that the number of names on waiting lists could decline by 80% by the end of the year. However, we think an effort should be made to eliminate all delays over the next six months.
The federal government must ensure that its processes are clear and that it discharges its obligation of result respecting recognition of resident status and in the treatment of people who pass through the Quebec experience program, the QEP. In addition, it should, of course, ensure that citizens and businesses are well aware of their responsibilities.
Thank you.