We have taken part in Destination Canada every year since the event was introduced. I think this is the 13th edition this year. New Brunswick has always attended. In recent years, we have also chosen to support those of our communities that wanted to go to Destination Canada with us, and we offer them financial support for that purpose. It is still the best recruitment tool we have for attracting people to Canada.
Having said that, I want to make a comment. Francophone immigrants wishing to come and live in Canada are not necessarily motivated, first of all, by the idea of being able to speak French. They want to come to Canada because they want to learn English. We often tell them that the struggle for the survival of French is not their cause, that it is a situation specific to Canada. We really have to be careful here.
In giving my sales pitch, if I told people to mount the barricades and fight for language rights, that would not really be appealing. That is really not what interests them. They want to come here because they like North American culture or because they want their children to be bilingual. Those who want to live in a francophone setting will settle in Quebec. Those who want to live outside Quebec want to learn English. I often explain the situation to them. When they tell me they want to go and settle in Moncton, I ask them whether they speak English. They answer that they do not but that they will learn it when they get there. I tell them that will not work because they will not be able to find a job.
We have to take into consideration this idea that they want to come and work in Canada to learn English. It does not work like that. First of all, if they are unable to sell themselves to an employer, they will not find a job. That is the challenge.
Consequently, the task is mainly to go and recruit people who are already bilingual, who already speak English and French from the outset, and to bring them to Canada and not necessarily to focus solely on people who only speak French. Otherwise they will find it hard to fit into most communities.