Mr. Speaker, there are a number of issues on which Canadians are often ahead of politicians. I was immigration critic for a year and heard a lot from Canadians across this country about what they would like to see in a temporary foreign worker program. It is quite obvious Canadians understand that there is some need for a temporary foreign worker program of some type in certain specific and narrow circumstances, but Canadians also believe in and want a program that ensures employers conduct a thorough canvassing of Canadians first to make sure there are truly no Canadians available to do the work. Second, they want to make sure that Canadians get skills training so that before employers seek workers from abroad, everything is being done to ensure that unemployed young people and workers across this country have first crack at acquiring the skills they need to do the jobs.
The Conservatives have been making fun of the fact that New Democrats have sent eight letters out of hundreds of thousands of temporary foreign worker applications. That is because New Democrats realize that there are certain specific occasions when temporary foreign workers are needed by employers, and New Democrats help those employers when the applications are rejected by the government. There is no shame in that.
What I want to ask my colleague this. does she think that this program can be rehabilitated? What does she think of Canadians' requests that this program make sure that Canadians have first crack at jobs before employers seek to fill those jobs by hiring people who do not live here?