Thank you, Mr. Gourde
I don't have the exact numbers, but I can say that, after having worked since 2008 in community immigration and francophone immigration in Newfoundland and Labrador, the economy was very good in terms of jobs. Also, most francophone newcomers came for economic purposes, as far as I know. I said that the economy was very good and I hope that it will come back. This year is a bit unique.
Most immigrants came to our province because they had found a job here before they arrived. We have very few francophone refugees per year. You can count them on the fingers of one hand, not more. To my knowledge, family class immigration is relatively low. It exists, but it is marginal. I am inclined to say that, for the most part, they stay here. Clearly, a good economy is very important. I think that factor contributes to the retention of immigrants.
In the third part of your question, you asked whether immigrants move closer to the community. I would say that it is a real challenge. If those people find a job with our immigration network, with Destination Canada for example—which is an employment forum organized every year by the Canadian embassies in Paris and Brussels—they often stay. If they come with children, we will be able to retain them in our francophone schools and put them in touch with our francophone associations. Things go well afterwards. However, it is often difficult to keep newcomers who do not go through our network and who find jobs in other ways, directly with companies or public job banks. It is a real challenge to keep them and to make them come to our communities or institutions.
In my previous presentation, I mentioned the number of francophone immigrants with French as their first language, their first official language. Sometimes, it is not their first language. They speak another language in their country of origin. It is very important to attract them to our organizations and communities, and to retain them. That is particularly important in rural areas. Two children can make a huge difference in a school. They can help save a classroom or open a second one. That is extremely important for us. It is a considerable challenge to be well acquainted with immigrants in the economic class and to retain them in our organizations.