Thank you very much, Mr. Bevilacqua. I appreciate your long-standing passion for immigration, a passion I share.
I think it's perhaps a little unfair to critique the last Speech from the Throne in that respect since it was really an update of the previous Speech from the Throne. It was strictly focused on our economic challenges. The previous Speech from the Throne did speak to immigration. It spoke to the platform commitment to, amongst other things, raise the issue of credential recognition with the first ministers.
I would point out that this is the first time a Prime Minister has put that issue squarely on the agenda with his provincial counterparts and has gotten a national commitment for action. We're all frustrated to know that our constituents are struggling to work in their chosen profession. That's a problem that has affected both federal and provincial politicians from all parties and all levels of governments for a long time now, but I think we are making progress. I think the Prime Minister deserves some credit, even in a non-partisan sense, for putting this squarely on the national agenda and getting the premiers to respond, and for putting our money where our mouth is, for adding $50 million in this budget to $32 million previously budgeted. That was not done before.
I don't accept that this government has not focused on immigration. The reality is that we have maintained historic high levels of intake. As I mentioned last year, they are the largest in history in terms of people who are either permanent residents or who might become permanent residents.
I just announced today that our government has seen a fourfold increase, or is planning a fourfold increase, just as one example, in the number of refugees eligible to come from the Middle East.
We have taken action on credential recognition.
We have increased settlement funding by $1.4 billion, or 219%, since the previous government was in place.
For the first time in a generation we have begun to see a reduction rather than an increase in the inventory of skilled foreign workers.