Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
Minister, I really enjoyed your presentation. I want to thank your colleagues as well, of course.
Last year, there were many places in Canada where francophone immigration targets were far from being reached, as my colleagues have pointed out. Today, I feel very good because you presented a multilateral approach that I like very much for addressing the problems on the ground.
First there was that meeting between the federal, provincial, and territorial ministers responsible for immigration regarding francophone immigration. That is a major step forward that needs to be acknowledged. Then agreements started to be concluded with the provinces. Ontario and New Brunswick signed an agreement. Let's hope that the other provinces also make progress in that regard. I know that Nova Scotia is also very interested. We are talking about problems and solutions that are unique to each province in question. The provinces know that the federal government is truly focusing on increasing francophone immigration. That is a big deal.
The second problem we raised last year was the need to have a centre devoted to francophone immigration. My colleague asked a question about that and I will take it a bit further.
Thirdly, I would like to talk about the immigration reception centres. I know that you are in Toronto, where we have the Centre francophone de Toronto, but do the other provinces offer a similar service? I am thinking about the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21, in Nova Scotia, and initiatives in other provinces. What are the other provinces doing to welcome francophone immigrants? Reception is a critical aspect.
Mr. Manicom said that there are people in place in several countries to work on this. Were those same people there two years ago? If so, I would point out that the 4.4% target was not reached. What will be done differently this time to achieve that objective?