Madam Speaker, in our communities, there are doctors who are not allowed to practise medicine, teachers who are not allowed to teach and engineers who have to rebuild their careers from scratch. We absolutely need to thoroughly review our mechanisms for recognizing credentials and skills. Not only is the current situation a waste of these people's time, but it is also a waste of their talent and a loss for Canada as a whole. Removing these barriers is not only the right thing to do, but it will also help build a stronger, fairer and more competitive Canada.

I commend my colleagues from Don Valley West and Hull-Aylmer, who stressed our connections with Africa. They reminded us that Africa is full of young, dynamic countries, many of them francophone, and that our future is connected to these partnerships. Let us work together to strengthen the international Francophonie. The desire to build collectively extends beyond our borders. Canada must forge new relationships based on respect, co-operation and solidarity.

My commitment as a member of Parliament is clear. I will defend the language rights of western Canadian francophones in all places and at all times. I will strengthen arts and culture, because they are the soul of our communities, large and small, all across the country. I will support an ambitious and inclusive immigration plan that is aligned with this country's economic and social needs. I will build bridges between francophones here and around the world.

I will close by reaffirming that I am here because of all the people who refused to stay silent, whether they were women, francophones, immigrants, artists or builders working in the shadows. All of these groups were often marginalized, but they were the people who built Canada as we know it and who made it a great place to live.

I am here because I believe in solidarity, culture, language and a country where everyone can dream, build and be heard.

Ginette Lavack