I will in fact be speaking about this later in another statement on immigration. That was the plan, but I will be pleased to speak about it right now.
A few years ago, Commissioner Fraser and myself issued a joint report on a problematic situation like the one you have just raised. What can we do to ensure that immigrants are well-informed about the situation here before they leave their country? We sell them a completely bilingual country, but when they arrive in your area, in Sudbury, that is not quite the case.
They have to be well informed and, especially, we have to take charge of them as soon as they get here. If they are guided by an anglophone organization, all of the services they receive will be in English, whereas these immigrants often need integration and retention services. We have to keep them here, particularly in your region. That is where the federal government can play a greater role by developing partnerships with francophone organizations. They should not be organizations that claim to be bilingual only to obtain a mandate from the federal government. Organizations really have to take charge of francophone immigrants and direct them toward services in French.
Let me be clear; we want newcomers to Ontario to learn English also; that is important. They have to be able to participate fully in society in Ontario. These people need services and need to be supported. The federal government and the Government of Ontario have to put in place recruitment, integration, retention and training strategies for these newcomers.