Citizenship and Immigration committee  You mean to be part of the Atlantic growth table?

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Yes, it's an interesting point. I just know because I've been a part of it. The Minister of Immigration in previous iterations has been at the meetings of the Atlantic premiers and Atlantic ministers on a regular basis. They believe, I believe, we all believe that the cornerston

Citizenship and Immigration committee  I can veer wherever I want—

Citizenship and Immigration committee  —in answering your question. The answer is this. My understanding is that, as part of a program of reducing tuition across the board, the Government of New Brunswick made a change in that direction. I want to amplify what I said, and what Ray Ivany and I both believe. The uni

Citizenship and Immigration committee  I've looked at your previous testimony, and I am appreciative of your support for our particular plight in Atlantic Canada. I am supportive of your statement, as well. I don't have the same strictures as elected members do on this, but I think that increased immigration would be

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Yes. On your last point, I agree that we should be creating a pathway. People who have spent years working in our communities are probably the low-hanging fruit among those we can attract and retain. On your first point, I'm not sure if I completely understand it. We had four ca

Citizenship and Immigration committee  It has been a long time since I was premier.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  I keep in touch. I also keep in touch on the Energy East project, by the way, since I was one of the architects of it.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Decades of EI have left these workers without skills and motivation. You can't blame the victims: they've taken what's on offer. I suggest that we need a three-pronged approach: deal with employment insurance; try to create case plans for new entrants to work them into programs

Citizenship and Immigration committee  I'd say retention is part of our own problem. Communities, the province, and associations have to work harder at retention. We have to lay down a base. I would say as well that many things are starting to work now. The Atlantic growth strategy is part of the solution to the pro

Citizenship and Immigration committee  And we need a path, by the way, for temporary foreign workers. Somebody who's been in our community working for four or five years knows the community, likes the community, and is probably the best bet to be retained in the community.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Yes. Look, I think it's all going in the right direction, but it is a chicken-and-egg thing. A lot of people would say let's not bring in immigrants until we have jobs. But in many cases, immigrants are the people who create the jobs. They enrich our communities and enrich our po

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Thank you. I am delighted to be here. I'm delighted to be among you here today and flattered to be asked to be here as a witness, especially with my good friend Alaina Lockhart, whom I give full credit for inspiring this effort, and Ray Ivany, the subject matter expert who is w