Thank you.
First of all, I echo the comments of my colleague Alexis Brunelle‑Duceppe: you have been generous enough to come to committee meetings on several occasions to share your ideas and answer our questions, Mr. Minister.
We know that more immigrants are choosing to live in large cities, while rural and northern communities continue to experience severe labour shortages.
The data shows that we are making good progress. We see that in recent years, our policies and investments have helped increase the number of immigrants settling in smaller communities. However, we need to do more.
Mr. Minister, are you able to tell us what's being done to attract and retain more newcomers in small and rural communities?