Mr. Speaker, in fact, there is a very real cost for non-recognition. A study carried out in 2001 stated that the cost of non-recognition of qualifications acquired outside of Canada was between $4.1 billion and $5.9 billion a year. When we talk about foreign credential recognition, this also includes Canadians who have gone abroad to get a credential and then have come back to Canada hoping to practise their particular profession.
The member is absolutely correct. What this file requires is federal leadership, but also working very closely with provinces and territories. In many cases, it is provincial organizations that actually implement the mechanisms to recognize credentials. Therefore, it is very important that there is this working together across levels of government, but the federal government must take leadership on this issue.