Senator Gold, to begin with, I want to thank you for your important contribution to this institution during your tenure.

As we attempt to strike a better balance between new immigrant arrivals and our intake capacity, we’re beginning to feel the effects of the new restrictions on the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. The Union des préfets Saguenay—Lac-Saint-Jean, an association of local leaders in the Saguenay—Lac-Saint-Jean region, surveyed companies in the area and found that a third expected to lose contracts.

Let me give you a concrete example. One metal fabrication contractor put the brakes on two investment projects amounting to $11 million, not because of the U.S. tariffs, but because it wasn’t sure whether it would be allowed to keep its temporary foreign workers. Instead of applying one-size-fits-all policies, could the government take the specific realities of a region’s job market and capacity into account, as the Union des préfets Saguenay—Lac-Saint-Jean is suggesting?

According to that same survey, two out of five companies will have to cut their production capacity. Some will even have to cease operations because temporary foreign workers are unavailable. The Union des préfets du Saguenay—Lac-Saint-Jean is proposing targeted adjustments to the new rules so employers can keep workers who are already in the region. Will the government accept their proposals so as not to jeopardize our regions?