Human Resources committee  This one is.... That question is relatively easy to answer. We are well aware of the negotiations that are going on at the moment, you understand. Of course, I do not speak for the Department of Foreign Affairs. Moreover, since the negotiations are still ongoing, it would not be appropriate for me to express an opinion that might end up interfering with them.

Human Resources committee  Your question is very large. I mean, it speaks to--

Human Resources committee  I would say that through the work of the pan-Canadian framework, we've targeted 14 priority occupations, as you know. For these 14 priority occupations, we have a commitment to governance and accountability. Clearly, one of the things we're doing is trying to identify the sorts of data commonly collected by stakeholders that would prove to be useful, common indicators for the progress being made.

Human Resources committee  Mr. Chair and distinguished members of this committee, on behalf of Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, I would like to express my appreciation once again for this opportunity to contribute to your study on foreign credential recognition. I am Jean-François LaRue, director general of the labour market integration directorate and with me is Mr.

Human Resources committee  Certainly. Through the national consultation, we've conducted priority occupations. We have made sure to cover all of those bases. As I said, we want all of the players on the ice, and we make sure that we've covered our bases.

Human Resources committee  I'm sorry, I am really not an expert on the temporary foreign worker program, so I would be speaking out of my depth here. We can get back to you with an answer in writing to that specific question. I think Mr. Walsh could answer part of the question.

Human Resources committee  Yes, it does.

Human Resources committee  I would agree with you that being competitive is extremely important. There are different ways of being competitive. One way is what you described and, certainly, I think many occupations are probably working with that kind of mindset. For our part, a lot of the work we do at HRSDC is done on the basis of our being a fundamental pillar making sure that we have a country that is attractive for immigrants.

Human Resources committee  If I can add to this, it's always about the state of readiness for that occupation and the direction it wishes to go. This is a really important point, that what we have is a facilitative role. We do not impose. We where we come in is that we diagnose, we examine, we discuss, and we try to ascertain what is the best direction for an occupation, in collaboration with them.

Human Resources committee  No. We have a series of projects wherein we are working with trades such as the trades in the tourism sector, as I just explained. There are others. I know that the sector councils have done some work involving the construction trades. In the telecommunications sector also, welders and various other trades are needed.

Human Resources committee  If I may, I would like to add some information. We offer the Working in Canada website. Recently, I took part in an expedition to China where we observed consultation sessions with candidates. This is a tool that is used a great deal and was developed by the Department of Human Resources and Skills Development.

Human Resources committee  Absolutely. I don't often have the opportunity to answer questions in French. And so I may have to use certain acronyms in English. I am asking you to be patient with me. The pan-Canadian framework has a very specific section. If you look at the framework you will see a list of priority occupations.

Human Resources committee  You're going to have to allow me to step back a little bit to explain the context for the initiative. We have heard musings over the last few months that many immigrants were faced with significant credentials costs when passing their exams. That's particularly true in the medical professions.

Human Resources committee  That's exactly right. The group of 14, as I indicated, was divided into two groups. The timelines were fairly tight for the first group. When the framework was launched—if I recall, it was in November 2009—we essentially had until December 2010 to streamline the first group of occupations.

Human Resources committee  Teachers are part of the second group.