I would like to expand on this issue by talking about agriculture. I am from a rather rural constituency and I have been in contact with the producers in my region. I asked them how we could help them and what kind of requests they might make, especially with regard to agricultural work.
There was an announcement about Canada Summer Jobs that said that 100% of salaries would be subsidized and that there would be a new period during which employers could make their intentions and their needs known, in terms of hiring students. However, with no increase to the program budget, that just creates new needs. As MPs, we were not able to answer the farmers' questions. More than 60 or so producers in my region, which is almost 15% of them, replied and told me about their major need for labour. Unfortunately, because of the size of those companies in the region, the assistance provided by the current programs is not enough.
So there are questions about the assistance programs in terms of labour. Could there be a program like Canada Summer Jobs, but designed more for student jobs in agriculture? How could we improve the temporary foreign workers program, especially in the regions? How could we make sure that we meet the labour needs of farmers? Is there a solution that would allow salaries to be subsidized so that seasonal workers can maintain their connections, in terms of employment and loyalty?