Published On Mon Mar 05 2012 Toronto Star

Yes, we have an intolerably high number of unemployed Canadians.

More than 1.4 million of us are out of work. In the main, these fellow Canadians do not yet have the skills required of a 21st century economy driven by brains rather than brawn. That can be remedied by ensuring that specialized vocational education is accessible (read affordable) to all Canadians who want to be contributors.

The scourge of the credentialed Pakistani heart surgeon relegated to driving cab remains plainly evident on GTA streets. Yet Ottawa has slashed its funding of immigrant settlement services for Ontario by $70 million.

And both Ottawa and Queen’s Park haven’t even tried to break the retrograde guild-like practices of professional credentialing groups that function to keep supply low and incomes high by disqualifying the qualified from practice.

Read the whole article...