Citizenship and Immigration committee  I think Ms. Dubé would be a better person to answer that question.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Yes, Mr. Saroya. There's so much talk about immigration and the considerable efforts being made to attract workers, but we already have trained workers who are here and want to stay. I don't understand the issue as far as the government departments go. From where I stand, there seems to be a disconnect between what the government says and what it does.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Earlier, we were discussing the huge needs that are apparent in the regions. I have to point out that international students help to alleviate the labour shortage and to keep at-risk programs alive. A number of programs have to shut down for want of students. It's important to ensure that both the region and the CEGEP thrive.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  What CEGEPs are trying to do is participate in internationalization. It's about offering a range of experiences. We host international students and we send our students abroad. Hosting international interns and sending Canadian interns abroad requires some reciprocity. If we want our students to benefit from international learning opportunities such as internships, but we can't take interns, there's no reciprocity.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  In our view, the dichotomy lies in the fact that students from countries such as India and Pakistan benefit from timely processing, whereas the students who make up our particular pool, those from French-speaking Africa, do not. We manage to attract and retain students from the Ivory Coast, Guinea and the like.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  First, it isn't true that foreign students are taking the place of our young people. In fact, CEGEPs in the regions lack students because of the declining birth rate. This is now the case almost everywhere in Quebec. We have the necessary equipment and facilities to take in students.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Okay. Can we continue?

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Okay.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  I was also talking about students who wish to do internships in Quebec. They don't have an easy time. Quite the contrary. In our view, the requirements are disproportionate. The students must go through all the steps taken by foreign workers, even though the internship will be just a few weeks long and they have the support of the two partner institutions.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you for having me here and for giving me the chance to appear before this committee. First, I want to speak a little bit about the economic impact of Canada's colleges and institutes. According to an analysis by Colleges and Institutes Canada, known as CICan, in 2014-15, the economic impact of colleges and institutes was valued at $190 billion.