Thank you, Mr. Chair.
As you know, we don't have a lot of time and we have a number of witnesses. I think it would be nice to spend four hours with you, instead of just two. It would be nice for us, anyway. The idea is not to bombard you with questions, but to have a good discussion with you on economic development in our regions.
My first question is for you, Mr. Aucoin. You said that the unemployment rate tended to be lower for francophones than anglophones. You know that I am from a region where 80% of residents are francophone. In my opinion, the only real reason for this is that our francophones have gone to work in Alberta. Economic development isn't the reason. Would you agree?
If what you say is true, I would like you to provide some evidence by sending the clerk some supporting documents. I would really like to know which sectors your agency has contributed to in order to reduce this unemployment rate because our fish processing plants have closed, the pulp and paper mills in Miramichi, Dalhousie and Bathurst have closed, the Brunswick mine is closed. It's distressing.
So when you say that the unemployment rate has dropped, it's certainly not because ACOA has created jobs for everyone in our communities. Would you agree with my comment?