Mr. Lemire, we have heard the statement by the federal ministers. At the time, the minister in Quebec, Mr. Jolin-Barrette, had also made a public apology, as he had set aside immigration files. The two governments are in somewhat of a competition to see who will look good, but the result is often the opposite.
When the information about the 51,000 files came out, the two governments were asked to agree and resolve the situation. Some of the files date back 10 years. The government was called upon to resolve the files and allow those people to stay here as permanent residents and fill the many job vacancies. It is essential to do some cleanup and to start from scratch with the new files being received. Those new applicants will probably meet the needs of the labour market better than applicants whose files have long been pending.
That request has already been made, but it's clear that there is still a disagreement between Ottawa and Quebec City about who is delaying the files and who is advancing them.