Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you to the witness for joining us today.
Mr. Obokata, over the course of the study, we had the opportunity to hear from a great number of stakeholders. We heard from farmers, lawyers, unions and migrant workers themselves. Many of them have expressed varied viewpoints and opinions on the issues of the closed work permits. Many stakeholders spoke about the consequences to the operation if they would open work permits for all temporary foreign workers.
Many have stated that employers in need of workers who recruit temporary foreign workers with high-demand skills fear that without employer-specific permits they may lose the employees they have recruited and desperately need.
When the Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship was at this committee, he stated that he was open to having region-specific and industry-specific work permits.
What are your thoughts on these specific work permits, Mr. Obokata?