Human Resources committee  Of course, there is no reason why they shouldn't. They come here to help us, and there is no reason for us to take advantage of them. What we're saying is, yes, we should use them, but also respect them.

Human Resources committee  With regard to manpower mobility, Ms. Bonsant, we are saying in the first place,that a farm worker who is used to growing potatoes or cherries, cannot become a construction worker. This is impossible, specially in Quebec where everything is legislated wall to wall, as the gentleman explained.

Human Resources committee  Basically, we need to make it worthwhile for the employer to hire apprentices more and more. I think, as I said, the initiative in the last federal budget was to give grants to the employee and also to the owner who employs these apprentices, but it's restricted to some Red Seal program employees.

Human Resources committee  If I may add to this two points of view, one is that the fiscal system in Canada ultimately needs to be reviewed completely. It's a fiscal system that penalizes people rather than motivates them. If you take on the two fronts, as André said, as an employer, if you have a break in taxes, you will reinvest more in your enterprise.

Human Resources committee  Okay. I would just like to add that more than more solution is needed to settle the labour problem. It is a tough profession. Consequently, when workers reach the age of 55 or 60, we could no longer expect them to work 40 or 50 hours a week. Of course, we want to keep them as long as possible, so long as they are able to work.

Human Resources committee  You are right, Mr. Lessard. We are dealing with programs that allow for interprovincial mobility. Obviously, we must do this in coordination with the provinces. In fact, in many cases, these activities come under their jurisdiction. Canada is a huge country with a diversified economy.

Human Resources committee  Up to a certain point, our industry is affected by the weather, but for the most part, we operate 12 months a year. This situation, however, is improving with climate change. A construction worker generally stays in the construction business. It does not happen very often that a construction worker will also work in the restaurant business unless he has been involved in a workplace accident making him unable to stay in that sector, and so perhaps he would have had to retrain for another line of work.

Human Resources committee  Merci. Thank you very much. Good morning, everyone. Good morning, Mr. Chairman, and good morning, members of the committee. My name is Alfonso Argento. I'm the current chair of the Canadian Construction Association. I'm also a contractor. I'm president and chief operating officer of a company called Seven Brothers Construction based here in Quebec and Montreal.