Citizenship and Immigration committee  I'll answer that. Our immigration program is a good system. We have a lot to be proud of in this country with our immigration program--in Quebec, equally with the other provincial nominee programs, and the federal system itself. There's a lot of fat in it though. There are a lot of unproductive components.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  It's very common. That results in processing resources going into requesting documents we've already given. The criminal record reports expire after six months, the medical examination expires in 12 months, and so on. It is very unproductive to be living in a system, in this modern world that surrounds us, where we get requests for documents we've already provided or where, because of the slowness and passage of time, things have expired.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  I don't want to accuse the minister of misleading the Canadian public, as I appear before you today. I would say there is a disconnect between welcoming doctors and then automatically--

Citizenship and Immigration committee  I understand what you're doing, and you've asked me to agree or disagree with you. I'm saying there's more to this story than meets the eye. I think it could have been a political statement she made, because as a practitioner I know it's very difficult to get medical doctors to qualify in the province of Ontario and elsewhere.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Obviously, yes, it could. As one panel said, either this one or the previous one, you either reduce the intake into the inventory or increase the output. Either way you're going to control this backlog. The biggest issue I see coming, with what's going on in Canada now, is a very related point.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  We all know that Bill C-50 and the amendments for IRPA are not going to have any effect on the backlog, other than it will decline in time, as you describe it, which is a good thing. It should never have become what it is, and it must decline. It will decline by attrition either because people die, they migrate to another country, or they give up.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Sure, I'll answer that. We have an issue with a shortage of doctors, particularly in rural areas in most of Canada. That's widely known by everyone. It's an accreditation issue, as you described, with the provincial licensing bodies, the professional licensing bodies. It's not only true of doctors; it's true of lawyers, teachers--pick one.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Thanks for asking me to participate in this important piece of your parliamentary business. When this legislation was introduced on March 14, I was on national television that night--it was a Friday--speaking in support of it. With reflection and in the fullness of time, I have considered it more carefully and want to share my thoughts with you.