Official Languages committee  Absolutely. It's the labour shortage. That's why, in our case, we need to go get the students, we need to recognize their skills. This is as much a problem in New Brunswick as it is anywhere else, even though the province is bilingual.

Official Languages committee  In terms of second language, the immigrants who settle in Moncton, even the francophone ones, probably think that big cities offer more employment opportunities. That's where all the better-paid jobs are. These people become anglicized more rapidly instead of maintaining their F

Official Languages committee  Yes, and I'd also include Moncton, which is really where most of the bilingual services in Atlantic Canada are. There are a lot of translation and call centre jobs there, among others. If we lose all that, we'll also lose jobs. It would be a shame to lose a place like Moncton, w

Official Languages committee  The Conseil économique du Nouveau-Brunswick was not consulted. That said, French-language federal services in Moncton, and even in the capital, Fredericton, are fairly satisfactory. None of our members challenged this new amendment, but we're always willing to receive more.

Official Languages committee  That's a really interesting point. When it comes to child care, there isn't much of an issue in francophone majority communities, other than the fact that finding people is hard, as it is in every other area. In places like Moncton and Fredericton, however, more and more francoph

Official Languages committee  The answer is yes, and we're working hard on that. More and more retirees are going back to work. I myself am a retiree who went on to work for several organizations, like the Conseil économique du Nouveau-Brunswick.

Official Languages committee  We shouldn't orient them exclusively to majority francophone areas. If the proportion of anglophones in bilingual cities like Moncton goes up, although we may not end up in the same situation as Vermilion, little by little, meetings and discussions might get more complicated. Tha

Official Languages committee  A lot of people in Ottawa and Fredericton work from home. Why not give these people the option of working from home in Dalhousie, Campbellton or Tracadie?

Official Languages committee  I see it as an incredible opportunity.

Official Languages committee  We've always had an excellent relationship with the ACOA. The agency has always supported the work of the Conseil économique du Nouveau-Brunswick, like the Rendez-vous Acadie-Québec, the next edition of which will occur in the Acadian peninsula from May 28 to 30. It's a bit more

Official Languages committee  Thank you, Mr. Godin. That's a really important question. The are many factors that make rural regions less attractive for international immigration. There are a lot of French-language resources in developing countries, like those in Africa, for example. People from African ci

Official Languages committee  Yes, but we'll need more decentralized services. For example, technology can be used anywhere these days. When rural regions don't have high-speed Internet, young people have no choice but to gravitate toward larger urban centres. If the regions also had high-speed Internet, I c

Official Languages committee  Okay. I would ask you to look at what can be done. For example, it would be good if we could recognize how immigrants' knowledge can help the New Brunswick market. It's a responsibility the province has committed to taking on. The recent policy should also be amended to ensure

Official Languages committee  Good morning. Thank you for the opportunity to appear before you this morning on behalf of the Conseil économique du Nouveau-Brunswick. As president and CEO of the Conseil, I represent 600 members, including all francophone municipalities in New Brunswick and, of course, the Un