Thank you, Mr. Chair.
My motion reads as follows:
That the Standing Committee on Official Languages ask the Department of Citizenship and Immigration to provide it with statistical data on the new "Express Entry" application management system, which began operating in January 2015, particularly regarding the number of people currently in the Express Entry pool, the number of people who have come to Canada since the system was implemented, their country of origin, their languages spoken, including their proficiency in one official language or both, and their education level, before the appearance of the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration.
Mr. Chair, I am introducing this motion because we have the impression that the new Express Entry program will bring a larger number of people who do not speak French into the country and may cause an imbalance in provinces where a certain proportion of linguistic duality must be maintained.
We know that 80% of immigrants to Canada are allophones and that they end up choosing English as their preferred official language. And given that a two-track system is being put in place, with Express Entry, we are concerned that it will cause an imbalance between anglophone and francophone communities, particularly in communities with a francophone minority.
Thank you.