Language is a barrier. Language is a barrier if you're a francophone woman and you're living in an English community. Many immigrant women coming in are francophone, and they seem to fare better. I think this illustrates the fact that if the language barrier is not there, they can move forward more quickly. Recognition of their experience and their work credentials is the biggest barrier that immigrant women have when they come into the country. Then it's being able to move forward in a way that they can get some experience.
I can give you an example. My executive assistant, Fabiola, is a young woman from Mexico. She's also an engineer. I said to her, “Faby, what can we do as an employer to make this job a job that will be good for you?” She went right to the child care, and told me that if she had flexibility to be with her children when they needed her, she wouldn't consider herself to be underemployed. She said, “I want this job because I want the same kind of experience that I will get at the PARO Centre for Women's Enterprise.” I've provided what she wants, and she's provided what I need.
I think that's what we need to get out to the workforce: hire immigrant women. Hire them. Give them a chance. Their language skills will improve. I mean, Faby right now is trilingual. Her first language is Spanish, she's learned French since arriving, and her English is not bad.
We're moving forward, and that's just one example.