Hon. Julie Miville-Dechêne: Senator Moreau, I want to share a heartfelt plea from Jean-Stéphane Bourque, a cabinetmaker in Beauce. Not only is he facing 50% tariffs and countertariffs, he’s losing his temporary workers, because their requests for extensions are either being denied or delayed by Employment and Social Development Canada and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. He had this to say:

Artificial intelligence keeps systematically turning them down . . . and then they’re told that they’ll get an answer in seven or eight months, unless they move back home before then . . . . We have employees in tears and families being broken up.

Since they no longer have a work permit or money, they resign themselves to returning to their country.

These workers are not stealing jobs from anyone. The unemployment rate in Beauce is 2.9%.

What is the government waiting for to speed up decision-making at Employment and Social Development Canada?

Hon. Pierre Moreau (Government Representative in the Senate): Senator Miville-Dechêne, I want to make it clear right off the bat that I checked and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada does not use artificial intelligence to make decisions on applications for temporary foreign workers. It is very important to make that clear. AI may be used, but not for decision-making purposes. Decisions are made by living breathing human beings.

Quebec and Canada have agreed to reduce the number of temporary foreign workers, but, as you know, the federal government is aware that, in some cases, particularly in rural areas such as Beauce, exceptions may have to be made for similar situations. I do not have any specific information about the company that you mentioned, but, if the company is eligible, it may be able to get an exemption to keep its temporary workers. In your question, there are some details that do not fit —

The Hon. the Speaker: Thank you, Senator Moreau.

Senator Miville-Dechêne: And yet, that is what this entrepreneur is going through. I spoke to him at length. It’s hard to reconcile this kind of bureaucratic treatment with the Carney government’s “build Canada strong” slogan.

Beauce is a powerhouse of entrepreneurship in Quebec. I have a simple solution. Why doesn’t Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada extend the work permits for a few months until Employment and Social Development Canada comes up with the necessary documents? Clearly, this is a problem, it’s two —

The Hon. the Speaker: Thank you, Senator Miville-Dechêne.

Senator Moreau: I’ll give you the best possible answer. If the company you mentioned — I don’t have that information — is entitled to a rural extension measure, it can apply for one. The measure is designed to offset essential worker shortages in key sectors, which seems to fit the case you’re describing. I’d be inclined to point the company in that direction.

Quebec Selection Certificate holders can also apply to have their work permits extended while they wait for permanent residency. So, there are ways —

The Hon. the Speaker: Thank you, Senator Moreau.