Mr. Chair, honourable members, we'd like to thank you for inviting us to testify before your committee. Your initiative attests to the importance you attach to the economic development of Canada's francophone and Acadian communities. I'd like to make an opening statement and then hand the floor over to our President, Mr. Bélanger, who will be pleased to answer your questions.
I'd like to briefly tell you about who we are and give you an idea of what we do. The question period will undoubtedly be an opportunity to talk about the economic development issues facing francophone and Acadian communities. Without this economic development our communities quite simply wouldn't be sustainable. We'll also have an opportunity to tell you about the challenges we face and the help we need from you in this regard.
RDÉE Canada's inception dates back ten years. It was established in 1998 following one of the most innovative partnerships between the federal government and francophone and Acadian communities. This partnership was sealed by the signature of nine deputy ministers of federal institutions and representatives from RDÉE Canada. It became the model upon which further collaborative action was based, particularly in the areas of health and immigration. Economic development therefore paved the way for a new era of cooperation and shared governance between the federal government and minority communities.
RDÉE Canada, the Réseau de développement économique et d'employabilité, is a fairly new network which is now comprised of 12 provincial and territorial RDÉEs. There are 120 expert consultants working with the network who are increasingly the drivers for economic development. RDÉE Canada is part-funded by the Human Resources and Social Development Canada Enabling Fund.
Based on this, we are able to provide a whole array of services to communities and business people, services which were previously lacking, with the aim of promoting the creation of lasting employment and an entrepreneurial culture. Thanks to RDÉE Canada's work, a new generation of French-speaking entrepreneurs is springing up in rural and urban areas across Canada. This new generation is a ray of hope when it comes to developing our communities, and is a good sign of things to come.
As a result of our work, numerous partnerships with the private sector, community organizations and various provincial, territorial and federal departments, have been established. In most cases, memorandums of understanding to establish joint committees and frameworks have led to ongoing cooperation with the various orders of government. This is a practical way, in our opinion, of coordinating efforts and enhancing the effectiveness of measures supporting the economic development of these communities. These partnerships, along with RDÉE Canada's services, maximize the benefits deriving from economic development initiatives which are crucial to the sustainability of minority francophone communities.
In the small amount of time I have available, I'm going to give you one single example—the first, chronologically speaking—to show how successful we have been. After the flood of the century in 1998, the Economic Development Council for Manitoba Bilingual Municipalities, CDEM, adopted its first vision plan, a planning model for community economic development. Some 60 communities across Canada have undertaken a similar process. Over 300 organizations—including business alliances, community associations, research and educational institutions, co-ops, municipalities, provincial and federal ministries and departments, and community development assistance agencies—and more than 7,000 individuals were involved in public meetings on local planning. This unprecedented mobilization resulted in a number of projects which, in the province of Manitoba alone, from 1999 to 2005, generated unprecedented spinoffs: 225 new businesses, 3,746 temporary positions, 1,159 permanent positions, 1,33 community economic development projects, for a total investment of almost half a billion dollars. Each dollar invested had a leverage effect of 650 per cent. This was unheard of for our rural communities! If you're interested, we'd be glad to give you other examples.
Before really taking off in 1998, our communities' economic development was never the focus of a systematic effort be it from governments or the communities themselves. This is to say that we are still only at the embryonic stages of development. Catching up is no easy task and therefore requires considerable resources.
I have run out of time, Mr. Chair, so I'll conclude my brief overview there. We'd be glad to answer your questions. Thank you.