Community organizations have played and continue to play a crucial role in the vitality of the OLMC as it relates to retention and renewal of the OLMC, whether the group is in Montreal or in the regions. They provide services, a network, an entry point to a community, and a place that makes community members feel part of that community. Groups need the financial support and stability to do their jobs. Project funding is not sustainable.
Community organizations have an important job to do but spend an inordinate amount of time trying to secure funding instead of focusing on their mission. It is an important and economical investment on the part of the government, but we need to also add businesses to the dialogue. Government can possibly look at ways and incentives to encourage businesses to be part of that dialogue. Many of the issues related to renewal and retention—employment and immigration to name two—fall under provincial jurisdictions and this makes addressing already complex issues even more difficult. The federal government may be able to play a role in helping the community build those bridges.
Community organizations, governments, and businesses all need to work together to ensure adequate resources for the community organizations to address issues that are crucial to the health and future of the OLMC. These issues are intergovernmental, interdisciplinary, interdepartmental, and intersectorial, and they need multi-pronged and creative responses. They can't be dealt with piecemeal or hampered by jurisdictions.
Today young people and many business leaders would say this situation needs an organic response because the issues are more complex, are moving quickly, and don't fit into tidy matrix graphs and boxes. We all need to be thinking more organically in our responses to the issue of renewal and retention for the OLMC in Quebec, as it is ultimately having an important impact on our youth, our economy, our province, and our country.
Thank you.