Hon. Julie Miville-Dechêne: Senator Moreau, first of all, allow me to wish you good luck in your new duties. I clearly see the importance that the government is placing on major projects, but a large swath of Quebec’s economy consists of small- and medium-sized businesses that are suffering now that the federal government has imposed a new and lower limit on temporary foreign workers.

I have spoken to two companies in the Lower St. Lawrence region that are deeply concerned: Aliments Asta had to let about 40 employees go to comply with federal quotas, and now the company is losing income because it can’t process the same amount of meat as before. The same concerns are dogging Lepage Millwork, a door and window manufacturer fearful that it could lose 45 temporary workers in January after investing in a plant expansion. Why are these companies being harmed?

Hon. Pierre Moreau (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for the question. Obviously, I don’t think that the government’s goal is to harm companies; incidentally, we’re well aware of the problems in certain sectors when it comes to recruiting employees who reside in Canada. It’s an issue I’m quite familiar with, especially in the processing and agricultural field. I know these companies. What the government is trying to achieve through the program is to tighten up the criteria in order to maximize the number of jobs available to Canadian workers, and then truly allow these companies to hire foreign workers.

Sometimes, programs can create issues. The government knows this, and we are going to work on improving them. The government’s objective is to support these companies, which play a very important role in Canada’s economy.

Senator Miville-Dechêne: Thank you for that. The fact remains that there are very few younger workers, especially in the Lower St. Lawrence region. The workforce is much older. The population is aging. Saying that young people want to work, which is what we hear everywhere, solves nothing. What are your thoughts on the human element of this situation, given that these are families and children who are terrified they might have to leave Canada?

Is lowering the foreign worker cap really good for Quebec’s economy —

Senator Moreau: Senator, we have to consider the human element not only for those who fear having to leave Canada, but also for entrepreneurs who worked hard to build the businesses these employees sustain. We know the government is making changes to programs. In these cases, especially considering regional demographics and economies, I believe the government is making changes to programs. I’m sure the examples you shared will help the government be more aware of that.