Official Languages committee  Unfortunately, I do not have these figures with me. I must say, however, that people who come from Latin American communities and settle in Alberta integrate into the French milieu. That is the case of the Colombian community, which is quite large in Alberta.

Official Languages committee  That is a good question. Unfortunately, we have not yet had the time to assess this statistical trend. As you know, the Express Entry program came into effect in January 2015. The first draw took place at the end of January. Quite recently, during the Day of Reflection on Francophone Immigration, this question was asked, but no one answered it.

Official Languages committee  Thank you. The reason we work with a private recruiter stems from our belief that the community should take charge of itself. We could, of course, do more if we received funding for these activities. The private recruiter has an agreement with employers. The company looks for qualified bilingual workers and brings them to Alberta.

Official Languages committee  Thank you. I think you have to speak English when you live in a predominantly English-speaking province. But that doesn't preclude living in French. These immigrants receive services, especially given that most of them aren't able to speak much English when they arrive. If they need assistance, it has to be provided in the language they are most comfortable in, and that speeds up the settlement and integration process.

Official Languages committee  Thank you. First, I'd like to say that the francophone significant benefit program didn't provide funding but, rather, an exemption for certain occupational categories, or francophones; it made an application for a labour market opinion unnecessary. It applied to NOC skill types 0, A and B.

Official Languages committee  In Alberta, once we sensed that immigrants were focusing on the economic dimension—with a significant employer presence—it paved the way for a success story that started in Grande Prairie and is now spreading throughout the entire province. Alberta's francophone community decided to take control of its future, starting in the Grande Prairie region.

Official Languages committee  In Alberta's case, I would say that immigrants settle mainly in large cities. Like all other francophones, they settle close to their workplaces because the communities they live in don't have high concentrations of French speakers. They live in the same neighbourhoods as other francophones.

Official Languages committee  Like my colleague, I want to highlight the assistance we receive from Citizenship and Immigration Canada, but more support is needed. With respect to Destination Canada funding, I would say that our Atlantic friends are more fortunate than we are. We've never received funding for our community to participate in Destination Canada.

Official Languages committee  I'm not sure I can adequately interpret that message here, but of note is the fact that it automatically excludes unilingual French speakers from the process. And yet all advertising to promote immigration sends the message that any immigrant who can speak either of Canada's official languages is welcome in our country.

Official Languages committee  Mr. Chair, members of the committee, good afternoon. First, I wish to thank you very much for inviting us to share our perceptions of Citizenship and Immigration Canada's commitment to promoting Canada's linguistic duality and the development of official language minority communities.