Official Languages committee  The 20% figure I cited earlier concerns refugees. We do not really have any control in that case. The federal government has sent them to us and the provincial government has a support role to play in that regard. We do not have a choice. The 20% figure refers to refugee children, those who arrived without being able to speak English or French and who were allophones.

Official Languages committee  Francophone immigrants go to francophone schools because the Official Languages Act in New Brunswick provides that persons who have previously been educated in French must continue their studies in French.

Official Languages committee  First of all, I must say we do not send them to the rural regions. It is they who decide where they want to go and settle in New Brunswick. Those who go and settle in the rural areas have found jobs in advance. All the studies show that tool no. 1 for retention is employment. As a general rule, when they have a job, they tend to stay permanently or at least stay much longer.

Official Languages committee  Yes. You have to understand that Destination Canada is first and foremost a job fair. We arrive there with job offers from New Brunswick employers and to explain the situation to them. New Brunswick employers often come to Destination Canada with us. The same is true for the other provinces: Canadian employers go to Destination Canada with provincial representatives to sell their jobs.

Official Languages committee  I think it was the fifth or sixth edition of Canada Week this year. The event is held in Paris and Lyon during the last week of June. It is not just about immigration. There is a post-secondary education component and a component for doing business in Canada. The embassy communicates with the provinces about it.

Official Languages committee  Yes. Last year, New Brunswick and Ontario were the only two provinces represented for immigration. The other provinces decided not to attend or did not have the necessary funding. Only two provinces took part in Canada Week.

Official Languages committee  Yes. We see results every time we take part in a mission. If we did not get results, we would not go back.

Official Languages committee  That is being done. I believe Canada's embassy in Paris is responsible for 13 francophone countries. Since it does a lot of promotion for the francophone communities outside Quebec, much is therefore being done internationally to promote minority francophone communities. It is definitely different to hear that from someone who is in the same situation rather than from a woman who works at Canada's embassy in Paris.

Official Languages committee  We are seeing a difference. As I told you earlier, we have started making web presentations. This is 2016, and we are therefore trying to use today's tools. However, that is not the same thing as meeting someone in person. The people we meet over the web will often come to an information session later.

Official Languages committee  No. We have 625 nomination certificates a year.

Official Languages committee  In fact, including the additional 425 express entries, that makes a total of 1,050 immigrants. Our base is 625 nomination certificates a year, and the target corresponds to that number. Since we exercise no control over federal programs, you will understand why it is extremely difficult to set targets for programs not under our jurisdiction.

Official Languages committee  We determine the number of immigrants who settle in the province based on language. First we establish the total number of immigrants, and we are currently working on a breakdown of the number of immigrants by language. The preliminary data seem to indicate that the retention rate is higher for francophone immigrants than for other immigrants, those who are anglophone, let us say, for our purposes.

Official Languages committee  Yes, we are working with the employers in all regions of New Brunswick. This past June, the federal government announced it would implement an immigration pilot project for Atlantic Canada in 2017. That project will help employers experiencing chronic labour shortages to recruit francophone immigrants.

Official Languages committee  Virtually all my points have been addressed.

Official Languages committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you once again for the opportunity to speak to the committee this morning. My second presentation concerns the state of francophone immigration in New Brunswick and will address the issue of challenges and opportunities. I will speak about economic immigrants first and then address the refugee question.