Seeing as we have quorum and a busy agenda, I'm going to call this meeting of the Committee on Indigenous and Northern Affairs to order. We always start by acknowledging that in Ottawa we meet on the traditional unceded territory of the Algonquin people. I am seated here in Hamilton East—Stoney Creek on the traditional lands of the Haudenosaunee, Anishinabe and Chonnonton first nations.
I believe everyone here has been involved in a Zoom virtual meeting, so I think you are aware of all the situations, but I'd like to stress that it's important that we can't properly run the meeting without clear and effective translation, and that requires that you have the correct selection on the translation globe at the bottom centre of your screen, and that you select the floor, English or French. When you speak, please do so clearly and slowly. Please have your microphone on only when you are speaking, and that will help things along.
We're very pleased to have with us by video conference for the first hour Marco Mendicino, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, accompanied by the following department officials: Natasha Kim, associate assistant deputy minister, strategic and program policy; and Alec Attfield, director general, citizenship.
Welcome to all of you.
Minister, welcome to our committee. We invite you to make an opening statement of about six minutes, if you could, and then we will move on to questions. Please go ahead.