My question is for the Leader of the Government in the Senate.

The government’s budget, which passed yesterday, shows that Canada has taken an enviable path in terms of deficit and debt-to-GDP ratio among G7 countries. The budget also includes significant investments in a number of sectors. These investments will require Canadian businesses to increase production, so they will need more workers. Additional infrastructure and various projects will have to be developed, which will also increase the need for workers.

On page 96 of the budget, it is revealed that beginning this year, Canadian businesses will lose 300,000 workers as a result of changes to policies relating to temporary foreign workers. My question is this: What workforce measures will the government put in place to ensure that we achieve the —

Thank you for the question, Senator Hébert. I know that you’re very concerned about this issue. You asked a similar question in the Senate before.

Let me provide a bit of context regarding the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. The purpose of the program is to meet Canadian businesses’ labour needs. However, Canadian businesses must make every effort to hire Canadian workers before turning to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. I think that is a prudent approach that is good for Canada.

I want to thank you for drawing senators’ attention to the significant infrastructure investments that the Government of Canada will be making because they will create jobs for Canadians. When the need becomes apparent, businesses will be able to turn to foreign workers.

Thank you.

Businesses are using the Temporary Foreign Worker Program because they are unable to find workers to fill the job vacancies in their regions. I would respectfully point out that a recent Deloitte study shows that, if we want to meet the government’s targets, the construction industry will need an additional 400,000 to 500,000 workers. I will ask my question again. What initiatives will the government put in place to ensure that businesses have the workers they need?

Senator Hébert, I believe you have met with people from the construction industry. I’m sure that, after listening to what they had to say, you realized that these people strongly support the initiatives that were put forward in the federal budget to boost infrastructure construction. These companies want the government to generate investments, create jobs and attract private capital. The government will, of course, remain in close contact with businesses to ensure —