In fact, a potentially very large number of foreign workers have skills and are looking for prospects. Where are they going to wind up? We could attract them here, rather than let them go elsewhere. An immigration policy might encourage them to come to Canada. Perhaps we could integrate them into the labour market and offer them wages comparable to what's offered elsewhere in the world. I think that's an important part of the strategy.
There's also the entire issue of training. Let's take adult training, for example. Canadian employers spend roughly $850 a year per employee on training. In the United States, it's more than $1,000. In Europe, it's approximately $1,200 a year. We spend very little on training. When we think of establishing a labour market strategy, we have to consider training.
Another group of potential workers, which Glen didn't mention but that we mention in our human resources program, are Aboriginal people. They form a young and growing population. However, they haven't achieved sufficient educational levels to enter the labour market. We have major challenges regarding education. The federal government has a role to play in this regard, particularly in relation to youths on reserves. We have an opportunity to integrate them into the labour market when we need human resources. So this is another factor that must be considered in the context of this thinking exercise.
Lastly, we talk about investment in order to access foreign markets. Another aspect of foreign investment is being able to access this professional competency outside the country.