Thank you, Mr. Chair.
My first question is for Mr. Morel‑Laforce and Mr. Buy.
During the last legislature, my colleague from the Bloc Québécois, Maxime Blanchette‑Joncas, the MP for Rimouski‑Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, sponsored Bill C‑281, An Act to amend the Canada Shipping Act, 2001 (certificate of competency), after listening to the grievances of the Institut maritime du Québec, which is based in Rimouski. A good number of international students were coming to Canada to learn how to pilot our boats and then, sadly, once they had finished their training, they had to go back to their home countries because they needed a permanent residency visa or a certificate of competency in order to work in their field.
I think we should amend the act, especially in light of the labour shortage, because those students learned how to use our system and were trained here. They could easily pilot our boats.
I would like to know if you would be in favour of amending the Canada Shipping Act, 2001, in order to allow people who have been trained here to stay.