Mr. Speaker, the whole issue of temporary immigration is quite complex. In my mind, the intention is always virtuous, or could be. However, it can sometimes be exploited for very questionable purposes.
In the case of asylum seekers, for example, it is a humanitarian issue. We have a responsibility there. However, Quebec is overburdened for the time being. When it comes to foreign students, it is essential for them and often for their countries, but it is also essential for Quebec's university network, for example. In the case of temporary foreign workers, temporary immigration is essential for several economic sectors, particularly in the regions.
Now, there is no denying that there are problems with each of these three types of temporary immigration. I mentioned the intake of asylum seekers, even though I think that we have a duty in this regard. Every province should take a number proportional to its population. When it comes to foreign students, claiming refugee protection has become a way of getting around the rules, so we need to find a solution to that problem. There are also issues in the case of temporary foreign workers. There are temporary foreign workers who end up being not so temporary, whose permits are renewed again and again and who end up settling here, which creates problems with integration and breaks down the social fabric. I am not blaming anyone for that because we are responsible for our own system. The responsibility does not lie with those who want to benefit from it. I do not in any way want us to give up something that is good for them and that is presumably good for Canada and definitely good for Quebec. Even if the end goal is laudable, before we make any dogmatic or electioneering statements about cuts in that regard, we need to have discussions about how to go about that without hurting these people, their savings—to a certain extent—and the economic needs of Quebec and Canadian businesses.