Citizenship and Immigration committee  Yes, permanent resident status and not under the point system--that's the problem, right?

Citizenship and Immigration committee  And it should not be made contingent on the employer's evaluation.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Yes. I should add that I'm Mexican and I work with the Latin American population. There's a large undocumented population.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  No. Many of our organizations are not funded. I would agree with a lot of what you're saying. We have to remember that these are human beings. I wouldn't just advocate for funding our organizations. I would also say the government has a responsibility. For example, in Alberta, there's an advocacy centre funded by the government directly as well.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Can I just add one thing? I did work as a settlement worker before, and the cuts that happened were not just to settlement work. In B.C., for example, we don't have enough English language programs. We have only up to a benchmark of four or five, whereas in Manitoba, the government funds up to level eight.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  I can't speak to the exploitation of the older workers. The older ones are about 50 to 60, and they're not requested back after a certain age. On the Indo-Canadian population, I couldn't speak to you as much. We work primarily with the migrant workers, and I don't feel I'm the best person to answer the question.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Thank you. I translate all the time, so I understand; I'm sorry. We are here to recommend that the standing committee take forward the issue of giving temporary migrant workers permanent resident status, as their temporary status really provides the foundation for the exploitation and abuse they often face.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  I've timed my speech. It should be seven minutes. I apologize for not translating it into French, but I am very pleased to be here and I hope you will listen to what I'm going to say. Thank you very much for the opportunity to speak before the standing committee. My name is Erika Del Carmen Fuchs, and I'm an organizer with Justicia for Migrant Workers B.C.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  I need to finish. I have to get to the last part.