Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I'd like to thank the committee for having me.
Thank you, Minister, for being here. My first question is pretty straightforward.
I'm on the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food, and in the past, I've repeatedly asked that the committee invite the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship to answer questions. Both of your predecessors turned down the invitation. Yesterday, for the fourth time, I put forward a motion to do the same thing, and it received unanimous support from the committee.
I think everything being discussed here, today, is interesting, but we have been asking for a meeting for quite some time. We'd actually like to question not just the immigration minister, but also the labour minister about LMIAs. Numerous recommendations have been made, including as part of a recent study on agri-food processing capacity, and we would like to discuss them with you.
Farms employ a lot of workers, as do agri-food processors. Many employers in my region have tried to secure foreign workers, but those processors weren't able to get the workers because of red tape.
Minister, will you commit to meeting with the members of the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food?