As you can see, it isn't easy for a man of my age—I'm 78 years old—to use technological resources.
Many community organizations also have trouble, particularly because the way to apply to the program is impersonal. For example, sometimes we have problems trying to sign up. One day when I was trying to write $30.00 in French, I wrote it with a decimal point. It took me some time to understand that I had to use a comma. That's one example among many. When I need help dealing with a bug, I call the telephone service at the given number, but the waiting time is 48 hours. I'm sitting in front of my computer and don't want to wait 48 hours, so I hang up.
We should have someone who's responsible for a region such as the Laurentians, for example. I like to solve problems by meeting with people in person. I think we're losing some players.
Now that I've discovered the Canada summer jobs program as a funding source, I want to use it. I want to send a message to a lot of people that I know who live in the region. That'll result in more applications.
I would therefore like to bring the service that the program provides to us in the Laurentians. In other words, I'd like to have someone who is responsible in the region and who could answer our questions and provide information. When I speak to someone from the program and explain my problem, that person can tell me whether what I'm saying is right or not. If I ask someone to call me back, I don't know who I'm dealing with because it could be just anyone.
If the service is provided as it should be, it'll be a gem. A lot of people will be able to get jobs. A lot of organizations will also be able to benefit from the presence of these young people. As a result, both parties will benefit, but so will the community. Everyone will be happy. So we should move the application process closer to the labour market to facilitate things.
I get nervous when January comes around. I prepare my job descriptions and I know I'll have to apply to the program and that it will be a long process. So I'd like to have help available near my home. That would be one way of solving the application problem, for example.
There's another aspect that I especially want to discuss. You must never contemplate cutting budgets. You must always think about increasing them every year unless you stop promoting the program. If that's the case, budgets can be cut. If you continue promoting the program as it should be, it will be a winning ticket every time. That's the message I want to send.