Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you, gentlemen, for presenting your action plan to us.
The objective to bring in francophone immigrants to your community is very commendable and no one can criticize you for wanting to promote this issue. However, when I read your document, I am under the impression that it is based on lip service rather than actual data. Moreover, you yourselves have said on several occasions that the data used was not reliable and needed to be checked. In some instances, the data has been interpreted incorrectly.
For example, on page 5 of the strategic plan, you said:
The second group of challenges relates to immigrant mobility. An immigrant population is highly mobile.
I do not think that this is true, but let's say that it is. You also stated that people who have already been uprooted once are more likely to be uprooted again. I do not think that this is true. However, you asserted, in the following paragraph:
Between 1981 and 1995, the percentage of immigrants who still lived in their initial province of destination was 85% for all of Canada.
In other words, this data contradicts what was stated previously. As far as I am concerned, an 85% retention rate is wonderful; it is much higher than the retention rates of several regions in Quebec with respect to people born in the province. I feel that your interpretation proves the opposite of what you stated at the outset. I would like to hear your comments on the matter.
You then go on to say, in the same chapter:
No data on the mobility rate of French-speaking immigrants within Canada are available.
If the data on the community in general has been misinterpreted and, based on what you have said, there are no documents on francophones, I am wondering what you have based your action plan on.
As regards the action plan itself, you said that Parliament intends to accept between 225,000 and 250,000 immigrants in 2006. During the launch, the target was set at 4.4% based on general data. If the number of immigrants remains the same between now and then, that would mean, based on your figures, that anywhere between 9,900 and 11,200 francophone immigrants per year could settle in a francophone community outside of Quebec. Moreover, you stated:
According to estimates, approximately 15,000 French-speaking immigrants should settle outside of Quebec over the next five years.
I am wondering what is true. You talk about 15,000 immigrants, but that figure represents only a quarter of the objective you set. In other words, your own estimates lead us to believe that the number of francophone immigrants will represent only to one quarter of your target. However, you have set your target at the maximum rate. This does not make sense to me.
Given that statistics are essential to assessing whether or not a program has been successful or failed, I would like you to provide us with data on the number of francophone immigrants who have opted to settle in a minority francophone community in 2004 and 2005; in other words, I would like to know what data you based yourselves on.