Madam Speaker, businesses in Mégantic—L'Érable need a real plan. The wait times for hiring temporary foreign workers are unacceptable.
We are talking about wait times of up to two years, which has consequences not only for businesses, but also for regional development as a whole. Expansion projects are being cancelled and contracts are being refused. In Mégantic—L'Érable alone, we are talking about millions of dollars every week.
In a joint letter to the Minister of Immigration we asked that he resolve the situation and respond to the request for a meeting made by Princecraft, Brisson Paysagiste, CBR Laser, Galvanisation Québec, Lemoltech Foundry, Manoir du Lac William, Palettes CMP, Convertex, Attraction, Fromagerie La Chaudière, Lapierre Equipment, Gosselin Express, TechnoPaint, Série-Act Peinture, CIF Metal, Optimoule, Plantations Robert, the Castech Plessitech Group, Plantations Nicholas and the three chambers of commerce.
The minister must implement a system that works and puts an end to the current wait times. It is high time Ottawa showed businesses the respect they deserve.