Thank you Mr. Chairman.
I didn't have time earlier on to wrap up on the issue of foreign credentials.
I think it is clear that the federal government's attempt to interfere in jurisdictions that clearly belong to the provinces is indicative of an ideology based on Pierre Elliott Trudeau's nation-building. In that regard there isn't much difference between the Conservatives and the Liberals.
If all were well at the federal level, if there were no problems, if everything were under control and there were undue wait times, then I might understand why one would invest money in areas that clearly fall under provincial jurisdiction.
Given that there are significant immigration problems, do you not think that money would be better invested if it were entirely allocated to wait times or if it were directly given to the provinces? The provinces are already working on having foreign credentials recognized.
We support that. I believe there are also problems. I am a member of the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec and I have been putting pressure on my own association for progress to be made. I think there's also the issue of efficiency. The provinces already have to work with professional associations. If another layer is added—the federal government will impose standards for national frameworks and national policies—if there's no acceptance of the fact that there are differences between different provinces, then we're no longer dealing with a federal system, we're dealing with a unitary system.
If one believes in federalism, one has to be able to live with the fact that Quebec may have a different way of doing things from that of Ontario, Saskatchewan or Manitoba. That is federalism.