Mr. Speaker, Canada's economic prosperity will increasingly rely on new immigrant workers until we reach the point where all net labour force growth will be immigrant based.
In light of this, we must do a better job of recognizing the education and credentials that newcomers receive from other countries.
It is for this reason that on December 6 I visited stakeholders in Calgary. I wanted to discuss the issues of foreign credential recognition and to hear about other barriers to employment that skilled newcomers face.
I am happy to say that the Government of Canada is working diligently with its partners to address this important issue. Our partners include the provinces, the territories, regulatory bodies, sector councils, colleges, schools, unions and others.
Our work on foreign credential recognition is a critical component of the government's new workplace skills strategy, which seeks to ensure a highly skilled, adaptable and resilient workforce; a flexible and efficient labour market; and that the needs of employers and workers are met.