Finance committee  Thank you for the invitation to appear. I probably don't need the full five minutes, but I'll make a few comments on the proposed changes, and I'll be happy to follow up during the question-and-answer period with more detail. I'd like to start by talking about the regulations re

Finance committee  Okay. The empirical evidence really doesn't support investor-class or entrepreneurial-class immigrants being as successful as, for example, the skilled-worker immigrants. Let me just sum up by saying that in general I think this movement towards an expression-of-interest regim

Finance committee  Sure. I can try to address that issue. I think it's a difficult problem. I'll start off by saying I don't think there's an easy solution. The easiest solution is to just not have the program, but I think there are some benefits to the program. I did a piece for IRPP in Montreal

Finance committee  Without commenting on the past, I think in principle the decision last year to begin excluding employers was a good move, and I think financial penalties are another way to go. But obviously, it only works if it is fully implemented. I think that can work. I think employers will

Finance committee  Yes, I think that's highly likely to happen. Especially given the fact that we've been so slow at the process in the past, it's likely that would speed it up. Whether it completely solves the problem or not is a different story. But I agree.

Finance committee  Yes, I would. I think they're definitely a move in the right direction. I still have some concerns, as I have already indicated, that at the less-skilled end of the occupational or wage distribution, this program could have negative effects, but I think this is a move in the righ

Finance committee  I have no data to base that on. I would think it would be less than 5%.

Finance committee  I would say it's low.

Finance committee  I think if you suspended the entire program, it would hurt the economy. I don't know how large that effect would be, but it would hurt.

Finance committee  Yes, but just to be clear, I think the existence of positions for temporary foreign workers who come in with, say, some form of post-secondary education, including skilled trades-type qualifications, is beneficial. I think there may be negative consequences for the others. I thin

Finance committee  I think it's going to bring in skilled workers more quickly, and I think it's going to help us compete with the other countries that are taking similar approaches.

Finance committee  I'm not an expert on the details of the history of that part of the program, but as has already been articulated, the program expanded quite significantly over the 2003 to 2010-12 period. To me, it doesn't seem like it tightened up. It seems like it expanded and became easier. Th

Finance committee  Yes, the training point.

Finance committee  I think one of the key things to keep in mind with temporary foreign workers is turnover. We can say, look, we've advertised this job, no Canadians have taken it, and a temporary foreign worker is prepared to come. Now, what you implicitly have with a temporary foreign worker is

Finance committee  Sure. I'm familiar with Dominique's work. I think the issue there, as I understand it, is that it's just very difficult to know.... As I said, if you think about the process, the employer advertises a vacancy at a particular wage. If no one applies, or no one suitable applies,