You also referred to Manitoba as an exemplary province.
I think provincial cooperation is probably key. The same thing will have to be done in the other provinces. For example, the provincial nominee program has been incredibly successful. The initial goal was 600 people. It has now passed the 8,000 mark, and the goal is to reach 10,000 people per year. It is a very targeted program. People are sought out to make up for specific labour shortages. The program works well.
The province has set a goal of at least 7% francophones, which is higher than the francophone population of around 4%. If we want to maintain our population, we have to exceed 4%.
As you can see, provincial awareness and cooperation are essential. Otherwise, it does not work.
The other problem is finding jobs. People come to our community and it is extremely hard to find them work. Although my office is not an employment centre, I have received some 20 requests for assistance. People who have been here for two or four years still have no work.
In Manitoba, we are seeing a new wave of immigrants from Quebec. Some people come and settle in Quebec first, and then come and settle in our community and elsewhere in Canada. It is a new and interesting trend.
I do not know if anyone has any comments on that, but I know that things are working well in Manitoba. However, our success comes with its share of problems. We are not well enough equipped to receive immigrants.