Human Resources committee  I'd also point to Australia. I know that for the mining industry, Australia is a major player. They've been quite aggressive with their immigration policy, and FCR factors into that. It's not only foreign credentials, but also foreign competency. We, as well, are taking a very close look at what's going on there and what's working and what's not.

Human Resources committee  A national strategy presents such a tremendous challenge that we are already starting to see local, regional and provincial stakeholders launch initiatives in this area. We're beginning to appreciate the importance of pan-Canadian coordination efforts in order to avoid duplication.

Human Resources committee  Every day, we work with our partners on strategy development. We've yet to complete our strategy because of problems with our relations with and delegation of responsibilities to the provinces. A number of stakeholders are involved. Coordinating the process remains a challenge but we are nevertheless making some progress.

Human Resources committee  On the quantification you have in the document and the top three priorities, I would say that ongoing and accurate labour market information is essential to the mining industry and to the system that provides the people with the skills it needs. That is to say, the universities and community colleges need to know how many of what kinds of people with which skills will be needed when, so that they can add the seats that will deliver those people.

Human Resources committee  Mr. Chairman, committee members, my name is Paul Hébert. I'm the Executive Director of the Mining Industry Human Resources Council. It's a pleasure for me to be here today to address the committee. It's my pleasure to be here to give you a very brief overview of the minerals and metals sector in Canada and its importance to the economy.