Hon. Marie-Françoise Mégie: Madam Speaker, congratulations once again on your appointment.

My question is for the Government Representative in the Senate. Canada needs immigrant labour, and Quebec is asking for francophone immigrants. Haiti, a member country of the Francophonie, is very close to Canada and its diaspora has had deep roots here for many decades.

What is Canada waiting for to add Haiti to the list of countries that are eligible for the Temporary Foreign Worker Program?

Hon. Marie-Françoise Mégie: Good afternoon, minister.

For some agriculture and agri-food businesses, temporary foreign workers have become essential. An article in Le Devoir indicated that 74% of those welcomed through this program do not know French when they arrive in the country, which limits their ability to integrate and understand their rights. All of this creates a double linguistic and economic gap for Quebec and francophone communities in Canada.

Given that Haiti has an abundance of skilled labour, how could you bridge the gap between Haiti and Canada to mutually help our francophone farming populations?