First, let me underscore that according to all of the research, the single most important factor in economic success for immigrants, particularly foreign-trained professionals, in Canada is language proficiency. Regrettably, the previous government decided that there was a very minimal federal role in supporting language training for newcomers to Canada.
As I said, we've substantially increased the funding, by over 300%, and even after these reallocations Ontario, for example—Mr. Valeriote's province—will be receiving 319% more than it did in 2005. In the world of most ordinary Canadians, a 319% increase is a huge increase, certainly not a cut.
So much more service is available, and the map tells the story. One of the maps in the package of slides you have shows what kinds of settlement services were available in Toronto in 2005, and the other the settlement services available next year, after the reallocations. I think that says it all. A picture is worth a thousand words.
Mr. Chairman, in addition, as was mentioned, saving on average $1,900 for a family of four coming to Canada through reductions in the right-of-landing fee—that is, a family of four with two adult children—is very significant.
You arrived as a newcomer to Canada; $1,900 could mean the down payment on the apartment. It can be an absolutely essential difference in getting started.
So I really think that some of the rhetoric we've heard coming from the official opposition is unfortunate. It's certainly not reflective of their own priorities when they were in government.