Official Languages committee  I have recently received two résumés from people in France who are looking for work in British Columbia. However, I don't think that they're students. We're seeing a big change in francophone immigration. I'm surprised to have received two résumés, but we'll take a look at them.

Official Languages committee  Where I am, the Okanagan Valley, is a bit far from big cities, which have a major advantage over us. It's very expensive for a small business to be on Facebook and other online platforms. The government could help us with that. All of our labels are bilingual, but a lot of companies take shortcuts.

Official Languages committee  It has a very big impact. I import a lot of products from Quebec and New Brunswick. A pallet of maple syrup that used to cost $400 to $500 now costs me up to $900, if not more. All those costs have to be [Inaudible—Editor]. Paying tax on tax really affects us as a small business.

Official Languages committee  Honestly, so far, I haven't made a single profit from my business. I'm not trying to be negative. It's simply a fact that everything is affected by not just the carbon tax, but also the slew of other taxes. It really puts a strain on us.

Official Languages committee  Yes. As I said in the beginning, all the requirements we have to meet are geared towards big businesses. As Ms. Pelletier pointed out, small businesses often walk away because they don't have the resources to fill out all the paperwork. A big business can check with its accountant, push a button and produce all the required information.

Official Languages committee  Yes, I'd like to comment on that. On our side, we see great job opportunities for francophones. I'd love to see students from Quebec and New Brunswick come and work with me during the summer; I'd like to show them a francophone presence, and demonstrate the greatness of Canada.

Official Languages committee  We work very hard, but I must point out that we work a lot on the English side, because that's where we do business. I don't know much about the new law. However, I have received support for my children's education in a French-speaking environment, and that has been very beneficial.

Official Languages committee  I have to say that it was very difficult to explain to the provincial government that we were an agrotourism business. Our raw material didn't come from the province of New Brunswick; we had a hard time explaining to officials that, yes, maple syrup comes from eastern Canada, but that we had used it to create 20 other products, including granola, mustard, barbecue sauce, in short, all things that are very popular.

Official Languages committee  We need to work together, not in isolation. I hear about New Brunswick and all the other regions, but we need to bring all of the people together so they can talk to each other. Right now, we're talking about exporting products that we've created here in Quebec. This shows the importance of working together.

Official Languages committee  Okay. My apologies.

Official Languages committee  My name is Roch Fortin. I live in the municipality of Summerland, British Columbia. My presentation today will be in two parts: first, I will talk about my experience as a francophone in Canada, and secondly, my experience as an entrepreneur in British Columbia. To begin, I left Quebec in 1979 after I graduated.