Finance committee  Actually, the Australians copied our system, the point system, which we designed. As a matter of fact, I was on the task force that designed it. I hate to tell you when. Back in 1967 we designed the point system, and the Australians did copy it. They have made some improvements in it, I think, that I'm not sure we would want to do.

Finance committee  We'll see.

Finance committee  I don't know. I suspect, though, that of the 950,000 or whatever it is, most of them are still there. Most of them would still want to come.

Finance committee  I think 30-some percent are relatives of Canadians who are already here, so they'll certainly be there. The others, I think, are still gainfully employed in their own countries and are waiting until they get a decision, so there's no reason why they would necessarily go unless they left for another country, which is a possibility, of course.

Finance committee  The proposed regulations don't touch the backlog, so that's the problem. Now, the minister has said she's asking for, I think, $27 million over two years to hire additional officers who can concentrate on the backlog, but other than that, I don't see much impact being made on that backlog.

Finance committee  That's right.

Finance committee  I think that's correct. I think that's what the minister has said, at least publicly--that if, in the backlog or in the applications that are received, there are some highly qualified people who are desperately needed by Canadian business or the labour force, they would, in effect, be put at the head of the line and be brought forward.

Finance committee  That's right. The proposed regulations do not touch the backlog.

Finance committee  We can turn them down if they don't meet the selection criteria. But as Mr. Pang has said, the problem is that there are probably 130 million to 150 million people in China who could meet the selection criteria.

Finance committee  I'm not sure how the Brits do it. I think the Australians have a system somewhat similar to what we had prior to this act in 2001. If they don't meet a particular part of the selection criteria they can be refused, even though they may score high on other points.

Finance committee  That again would be the minister's responsibility. But someone has said--I'm not sure if it was the minister--that if she had applications she would pull the nurse out and give priority to the nurse, even though the exotic dancer had applied several months beforehand.

Finance committee  We won't know until the rules come down, but I can foresee the possibility that the minister will give priority to spouses and minor children ahead of parents or grandparents.

Finance committee  Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am pleased to come before the committee. I believe the proposed changes are needed, and I think they are urgently needed, to regain control of an immigration movement that is rapidly getting out of control. Canada is facing a growing backlog of people who have met all the immigration requirements.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  No. I'm simply quoting a U.S. journalist who has just come back from Iraq and has reported in the media that there was a major concern, particularly in Amman, that the locally engaged Muslim girls working for the UNHCR were rejecting out of hand or pushing off Christians who approached the UNHCR so they could get registered, and then referred it on to U.S.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Thank you very much. I'll try to be fairly quick because I realize time is running short. I want to thank the committee for inviting me to come here this afternoon. I've spent most of my public service career dealing with refugee issues of one sort or another. I go back, Mr. Telegdi will be interested to know, to the Hungarian refugee movement--I used to be in Toronto trying to help them get settled--to the Czech refugee movement, and all through the Ugandans, the Chileans, the Indochinese.