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Harper
pledges action on immigrant credentials and aggressively reducing
the Right of Landing Fee
January
4, 2006
TORONTO
– Conservative Leader Stephen Harper today unveiled
his plan to help new Canadians have their professional and work credentials
recognized before they immigrate to Canada. To help new Canadians
in their first year in Canada, Harper announced that a Conservative
government will aggressively reduce the $975 Right of Landing fee.
“Hard-working new Canadians bring to Canada
a strong work ethic, a commitment to family life, an appreciation
for higher education, and a respect for law and order,” Harper
said. “These are Canadian values, these are Conservative values,
and these are values that we will bring to a new Conservative government.”
“One of the toughest challenges in coming to
Canada is finding a job appropriate to one’s education, skills
and training,” Harper continued. “Too often, new Canadians
find that their credentials are not recognized in Canada.”
Harper
stated that a Conservative government will:
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Immediately
cut the $975 Right of Landing Fee in half and continue to reduce
it over our mandate as the fiscal situation allows. Immigrants
and their families can better use this money to cover the costs
of starting life in Canada. The estimated cost of this reduction
is $500 million over five years;
Create
a Canadian Agency for Assessment and Recognition of Credentials,
to provide pre-assessment of international credentials and experience.
We will work to educate employers on the value of foreign credentials.
And we will work with the provinces and professional associations
to ensure foreign-trained professionals meet Canadian standards
while getting properly trained professionals working in Canada
quickly; and
Support
Canadian parents who adopt foreign-born children by extending
automatic citizenship to these children once the adoption is
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“The current government believes immigrants owe them their vote.
Paul Martin has done nothing to reduce the immigration costs facing
new Canadians in his three budgets,” Harper said. “A Conservative
government will give hard working immigrants the respect they deserve
by reducing the Right of Landing fee and working to get foreign credentials
recognized.”
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