Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I was in Alma, in the Lac‑Saint‑Jean region, yesterday. My fellow members Mr. Mario Simard and Mr. Alexis Brunelle‑Duceppe were hosting a major gathering on the labour shortage. The participants in my panel included civil society representatives, elected officials and farmers.
Everyone was focused on what to do about the regional labour shortage. It's a challenge particular unto itself. In many cases, support programs are not suited to the realities in regions. Obviously, the issue of temporary foreign workers in the farming sector was discussed, as was the need for flexibility.
Another challenge that came up had to do with experienced workers. How do we bring young retirees back into the workforce? These are people who already have the knowledge certain sectors need.
Mr. Lee, you said earlier that you expected 22% of the workforce to retire in the next 10 years.
Couldn't we introduce tax or other incentives to encourage those workers to return to the workforce, incentives they don't currently have?
Having access to that pool of workers would help the construction industry, for example, alleviate the labour shortage it is facing. Don't you think so?