Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Minister Alexander, I want to come back to the question Mr. Nicholls asked you regarding Destination Canada.
In 2012, funding for Destination Canada was cut. The 2006 strategic plan to foster immigration to francophone minority communities was not renewed. On September 30, 2014, the government eliminated the Francophone Significant Benefit program, which was designed to simplify the hiring process. Yes, you did create Express Entry, but some of the witnesses who appeared before the committee, including those from the FCFA, told us that that program does not really benefit francophone communities that immigrate here.
All of the witnesses who appeared before us seemed to say that francophone populations are dwindling in OLMCs. Do you have any programs or strategies for curbing this decline?
This initiative does not seem very effective. The witnesses told us that, yes, people are selected to come here, but there are no programs to foster their integration into francophone environments.