First of all, Mr. Chairman, when our government came to office the total funding for settlement services in Canada was about $180 million per year. We've seen that more than triple to over $650 million. Most of that is dedicated to language instruction for newcomers to Canada. The increase in funding was so steep that we found an inability to enter into contribution agreements that met the legal criteria of the terms and conditions of the program.
Mr. Trudeau, you may recall that about 10 years ago there was a report from the Auditor General about tens of millions of dollars in grants and contributions from HRSDC to service delivery organizations, including some that deliver LINC, and it was found there was a lack of accountability, transparency, reporting, and outcome measurement. It caused quite a brouhaha and the previous Liberal government at the time cracked down with tighter regulations on grants and contributions.
Those regulations, in a sense, handcuffed the department so that we were limited in entering into contribution agreements unless we were absolutely certain that the terms and conditions would be met. So quite frankly, it was an administrative problem. Put it this way: so much money surged into the system that there was not a capacity to be able to deliver the services in accordance with the Gs and the Cs.
But I do share your concern. You're quite right to point out that there was only a very modest increase in enrolment in LINC classes. I think from 2006 to 2008 we went from about 48,000 to 52,000 enrollees in LINC classes. So for me, if you triple funding and you see only about a 10% increase, there's a problem. We're trying to address that through more innovative ways of delivering the service, such as the voucher program.