Mr. Speaker, I congratulate my colleague on his laudable efforts in the language of Molière. It is much appreciated, bravo.
I could talk about this all day. What measures has the government taken to encourage people to work, for example, in the agri-food sector? Labour shortages are nothing new. They have been around for years.
What measures have been taken, if only to get the information out or help with recruitment? What measures have been taken to promote permanent residency for foreign workers? Of course, there have been pilot projects, but it takes a long time to set things up. Can we innovate? Can we use our heads?
Also, there are other ways to make up for the labour shortage, including through innovation, a bit of mechanization, and automation, but that takes investments. There is chronic underinvestment across the entire agri-food industry in Canada and Quebec right now. That makes me worry a lot about the future. When one has not invested in one's house in a long time, sometimes it seems as though it would be cheaper to tear it down and build a new one.
Do we want to see closures in 15 or 20 years?
The government must show foresight and it must take action.