That's a good example of why poverty is much more than an economic issue. When we look at the situation that many immigrants, particularly recent immigrants, find themselves in, it is a confluence of factors. It's about the lack of recognition of qualifications. It's about the lack of social networks and connections. It's about racism and discrimination. If we simply raise income without addressing all of those other factors, we will have tackled an income problem, but we won't have necessarily tackled poverty, because a person is still excluded and discriminated against. So we have to tackle it all together.
Of course, a lot of these measures are not new. We know that we need to do something about the recognition of foreign credentials and qualifications, and we need to ensure that people whom we accept into Canada based on their credentials actually have the opportunity to work in the fields that we've accepted them to come here for. We need to address the issue of discrimination, and certainly measures to expand and strengthen the Employment Equity Act would help in that regard.
We also have to ensure that all employment is quality employment, so that even if you're coming and working at an entry-level job to gain experience, that job you're working in actually has the ability to pay your bills for you and your family and provide an adequate standard of living. I know a lot of people who come here may require upgrading or English language training, but they're not in a position to access that because they need to work. They may be trained, but they end up working in janitorial services or other lower-quality employment situations, and they don't have the opportunity to get the training they need. If we can provide that opportunity for everyone and make sure every job is a good job, then I think we have a chance to address that.