One of our strengths is that we forge alliances with many associations. We bring together representatives and associations. We are really the only ones doing this. For example, what is important for Canada, and for the government in particular, is the shortage of translation services. We don't have enough. If we continue down the road we're on now, in five years, there won't be enough translators in the country for our services.
The largest translation business in Canada is “importing” translators from Europe and North Africa because there aren't enough. The Language Industry Association is the only association really working to solve these problems. We represent stakeholders, and, after conducting studies and gathering data, we are working on a strategic plan to avoid these problems.
We currently see this as a problem, but it is in fact a great strength. The current trend in Europe is that two languages are not enough. All educated individuals speak at least three languages. Everyone who possesses any kind of privilege speaks at least three languages. That's the world of the future.
We have always worked on our history and heritage in a defensive manner, but today, given the situation in the world, this could be a major asset. Having two languages—some would say there are more than two languages because our society is becoming multicultural and multilingual—is an asset for Canada.
We can't deny the language industry its place. If we do, it will be impossible for us to occupy our rightful place in the world. It isn't going on just in Canada, but on the world scale as well. So we have to look at the future strategically. Our policies, our Constitution and bilingualism constitute an asset, a strength that we should exploit.
The list of our successes is so long that sometimes it occurs to me to say there are too many. We have reached a point where we are starting to bring stakeholders together and conduct research that will have a strong, direct impact. We are the only ones in our history to date to have managed to do this. I believe this is the answer.
Has our contribution to the action plan been a success? Yes, absolutely. The government has invested $800 million in the past five years. There have been other very strong and very positive initiatives, but I can assure you that we have had incredible success. You can check with our partners.
We have participated directly in the consultations conducted by Mr. Bernard Lord. We strongly believe in the future of language in Canada. We strongly believe in bilingualism. We strongly believe that the language industry should occupy a privileged position and that the country should exploit this industry. This is an advantage for us.
Sometimes we don't realize certain things. In Great Britain, one study has clearly shown that businesses that export—