I am an optimist. The problem of employment is going to be resolved because of other things that are happening: the population is aging and the birth rate is low. We see things changing more and more in the area of employability as circumstances change. The old attitude was that immigrants steal jobs; today, employers are calling us for labour. The pendulum is swinging in favour of immigrants.
Obviously, there's the problem of recognizing credentials, experience, and various professional bodies. Some sectors and businesses are more close-minded. That is a cultural phenomenon. In Canada, and more specifically in Quebec, employment tends to be generated by family business and regional industries. We know that small- and medium-sized businesses make up most of these industries. There's a whole regional and family culture underpinning these businesses, which is not necessarily open to immigration. It's not that the people aren't open, but they are not familiar with immigration, they have not met immigrants and they do not see them on a regular basis.
What Mr. Belhocine just pointed out is very important, that is that there has to be awareness-raising through diversity management. The problem is not that employers do not want immigrants. Sometimes the issue is how to manage 10 Chinese, 4 Africans and 20 Maghrebians, if there's a problem. It is that kind of management that has to be learned and implemented.
Today, everything is changing with an aging population. It is also important that the employees themselves be supported. If the employer wants to hire immigrants, other employees should not be isolating them. It's not a very ideal situation when an immigrant individual is eating all alone in his corner. The awareness-raising has to happen through federal or provincial government policies. Why are we receiving immigrants? It's because they represent a solution to our declining birth rate and demographical problems. The public has to understand this.
In Quebec the percentage of immigrants is increasing each year. We are currently receiving 55,000 immigrants per year. Does the public know why we are receiving those 55,000 immigrants? Why are we choosing qualified individuals who, in their own countries, had credentials, knowledge, experience, and expertise? Once again there's a contradiction. These people have to start over, go back to school after 25 years of studies in their own country. We're told that there is a shortage of doctors, yet immigrant doctors cannot practice. The issue of professional bodies also has to be dealt with.