I think we also need the equivalent of services already provided in English to be also available to those whose first official language is French. There are already many English-language services in Newfoundland and Labrador, including integration, reception and referral services, mentoring, job search assistance and language testing. English classes are offered, but French classes are not, to name one.
I'm thinking of the full range of integration services, including pre-arrival services. Those services are available in other provinces, and it is essential that we also have them in our province.
What we are focusing on at the moment is a service that would facilitate community integration because, as we mentioned before, immigrants are integrated into minority language communities. In Newfoundland and Labrador, the retention rate of francophone immigrants is high because it is easy for them to integrate into small groups and small communities.
Where we live, everyone counts. Very few immigrants find themselves without help and without ties in the community.
However, if we cannot count on the funding of the services we need to help them, we lose most of them, of course. As a result, immigration has become detrimental to our francophone communities.