Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to have this opportunity to speak on the motion by my colleague from Brampton—Springdale. Her compassion on this issue has inspired many here today and hopefully will inspire all as we resume this debate.
The member is well known for her commitment to ensuring that foreign trained professionals and new immigrants can fully participate in the Canadian labour market and more broadly in our society. I want her to know that I too share this commitment.
I too am of the opinion that one of the conditions for Canada's prosperity and future competitiveness is to allow skilled immigrant workers and foreign trained Canadians to contribute to the socio-economic development of Canada.
In my rural riding, one of the prime concerns came from primary health care and the fact that providing health care providers for many of the smaller communities in my riding has become troublesome and very difficult.
This is one of the ways to combat that: by recognizing health care professionals from abroad. By doing that we can provide a better health care service to our smaller communities in rural Canada. This is one of the big reasons why I support this bill.
Despite the fact that more skilled immigrants and foreign trained professionals are coming to Canada, too many cannot get a job in their field and it is taking much longer for them to catch up to Canadians with similar levels of education and expertise, resulting in comparatively low income levels.
It is against this background of common concern for the better integration of immigrants into Canada's labour market that I am pleased to support the member's motion regarding the government's foreign credential recognition program. The policy objective has been clearly set out, and I support this bill and the efforts of my hon. colleague from Brampton—Springdale.